Here We Go Again
by Butterfly Betty
Summary: Bella Swan is starting a new job with the FBI. Not only does she have to prove to the boys that she belongs but she has to face the demons from her past before they find her. MA for language B/E R/Em A/J Es/C
1. Chapter 1

"Bella, wake up," whispered my sister, Alice.

"Leave me alone, Pixie," I grumbled as I pushed her hand off of me.

"Bella, come on or you are going to be late for work," she chuckled as she pulled the blanket off of me.

"I don't give a shit if I am late," I snapped, pulling my blanket up on me.

"Bella, don't make us throw you in a cold shower," chuckled my other sister, Rose.

"Fine, I fucking hate you both," I grumbled.

"We love you, too," smirked Rose.

I just rolled my eyes as I climbed out of bed. They both chuckled as they walked out of my room. I slammed my bedroom door shut and went into my bathroom. I turned on the shower and stripped out of my pajamas. I climbed into the shower and let the hot water run over my muscles. I quickly washed my hair and shaved my legs. I dried off and went back into my room. I pulled on a pair of black pants, a black button up dress shirt and my black motorcycle boots. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and grabbed my leather jacket and made my way into the kitchen, where my sisters were drinking coffee.

"Wow, Bella, way to embraces your womanly ways," snickered Alice as she handed me my travel cup of coffee.

"Fuck off, Alice," I snapped.

"Wow, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed," said Rose.

"I had a long day yesterday. Jake and I had another fucking fight." I said.

"When are you going to dump that loser?" asked Rose.

"I don't need to. He told me last night he's been fucking around on me with Leah. He knocked her up and now they are getting married," I said.

"I'm sorry, Bell," whispered Rose.

"It doesn't really fucking matter. It's not like I loved him anyway," I said, offhandedly. "I've got to go."

"See you later, Bella," said Alice.

"Be careful," said Rose.

"I always am," I said as I walked out the door.

I made my way out to my car and climbed in. I started my car and drove down to the office. I was starting my first day at the FBI office here in Seattle. I've been a cop since I was nineteen. I graduated from high school at fourteen. I went straight to NYU and graduated with a masters degree in criminal justice and criminal psychology by the time I was eighteen. I went to the police academy and graduated top of my class at nineteen. I have been working for the last seven years with the New York City police department. I was offered a job with FBI three months ago by my best friend, Carlisle Cullen. I sold my apartment in New York and moved to Seattle last week.

I grew up in Forks, Washington with my parents, Charlie and Renee, and my sisters, Rose and Alice. Charlie and Renee both still live in Forks but Rose, Alice and I were determined to leave as soon as possible.

Rose is three years older than me. She is tall with long silky blond hair and blue eyes. She has a killer body and she knows it. She works as a photographer for Vogue. Alice is two years older than me. She has long silky black hair and blue eyes. She's just an inch or so taller than me. She works for Vogue as their fashion editor. How I have two sisters so into fashion is beyond me. I am barely five feet five inches tall with long brown hair and brown eyes. I think I have a very nice body. I work very hard to keep in shape. Alice and Rose look like Renee while I look like Charlie.

Of course, Charlie wasn't happy that I decided to become a cop. I thought that was pretty ridiculous given the fact that he is the chief of police of Forks. He was just worried that I would get myself killed on the job. I guess he had a point but I know my job and I do it well. Renee didn't like it anymore than Charlie did but she knew me well enough to know that once I was determined to do this, there was no stopping me.

Rose and Alice didn't like it either but for entirely different reasons. They both knew I could take care of myself but they didn't like the fact that the job often kept me from dating or at least dating anyone they thought was good enough for me. Which is why they didn't like Jacob Black. Jake and I started dating a year ago. He is a detective in New York. Things between me and Jake haven't been good since I took the job offer with the FBI. He was jealous and quite hateful when I told him I accepted it. He wanted me to stay in New York but working with the FBI is my dream. It's what I've been working toward since I started the job. I guess that was when he started seeing her. Leah Clearwater was the little sister of his partner, Seth. The four of us were friends until I decided to leave. I knew Leah always had a thing for Jacob but I guess I didn't want to see what was right in front of me the whole time.

I just sighed as I parked my car in my parking spot. I climbed out and made my way inside. I stopped by the front desk and picked up my credentials before I made my way over to the elevator. I stepped into the elevator with three men. The first man was very large. He had lots of muscles and curly brown hair and blue eyes. The man next to him was just as tall but not quite as bulky as the first man. He had wavy blond hair and blue eyes. The third man had wild, auburn hair. He had his head down as he looked at the paper in his hand. The first two men were talking about some bar they had been to the night before. The third man didn't seem to be interested in their conversation. The elevator doors opened and the four of us stepped out. The auburn haired man just walked down to an office down the hall while the first two men stopped and looked at me.

"Can we help you?" asked the brown haired man.

"I'm looking for Carlisle Cullen's office," I said.

"Why are you looking for him?" he asked.

"It's really none of your business," I said. He just chuckled.

"I'll show you down to his office," he said. He turned back to the other man. "I'll catch up later."

"Dude, don't -" said the blond man.

"I'm not. I'll catch up later," chuckled the brown haired man. He turned back to me. "Follow me."

"Ok," I said. I followed him down to the same office the other man had walked into. He knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a man on the other side. The brown haired man opened the door. "What it is, Emmett?"

"I have beautiful woman looking for you, Carlisle," smirked Emmett with a wink. I rolled my eyes.

"Send her in and get your ass to work," snapped Carlisle. Emmett just chuckled as he motioned for me to go in. I walked in and saw the auburn haired man sitting in one of the chairs. He looked bored. "Bella, it's great to finally have you here. Have you gotten settled in with your sisters?"

"It's nice to finally be here, Carlisle. I have most of my stuff unpacked." I said, giving him a hug. Carlisle was one of the most handsome men I knew. He has blond hair and baby blue eyes.

"That's good to hear, Bella. This is Edward Mason, your new partner." said Carlisle.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**Let me know what you think:) This is something that I've had sitting around for awhile now.**


	2. Chapter 2

"That's good to hear, Bella. This is Edward Mason, your new partner," said Carlisle. Edward snapped his head up and looked at me with disgust.

"She's my partner? She's a rookie," snapped Edward.

"She's the best at her job, Edward,." snapped Carlisle "We are lucky she took this assignment."

"She's still a rookie," snapped Edward.

"She's standing right here," I snapped. They both looked over at me. Edward gave me the once over.

"Can you even protect yourself?" he snapped at me.

"I can kick anyone's ass," I snapped.

"Prove it," he snapped.

"FINE!" I snapped.

"Calm down," said Carlisle. We both looked over at him. "Edward, Bella is an expect on forensics. She's the best profiler I have ever seen."

"I don't give a shit. I need to know that she can take care of herself if a perp sneaks up on her," said Edward.

"I can," I said. He turned and glared at me.

"What do you have a year on the job?" He asked.

"No, I spent seven years working in New York with the special victims unit," I snapped. His eyes widened just slightly before they hardened again.

"Look, Carlisle, I don't like this," said Edward, looking back at Carlisle.

"I don't give a shit. I make the decisions and I say she's exactly who you need as a partner," said Carlisle. He turned and looked at me. "Let's go meet the rest of our team."

"Ok," I said.

Edward just rolled his eyes as he followed Carlisle and I out of his office. I followed them down to a large area with several desks. I saw Emmett, the blond man, a sandy haired man with grey eyes and a black haired hair man all sitting at a desk. They all looked over at us and their eyes went wide when they landed on me. Edward just shuffled over to his desk and sat down.

"Listen up," said Carlisle. "This is Bella Swan. She's joining our team. Bella, this is Emmett McCarty, Jasper Whitlock, Garrett Mitchell, and Ben Cheney."

"Are you fucking serious, Carlisle?" asked Emmett, giving me the once over. I rolled my eyes at him. "She can't weigh more than 110."

"108 actually," I smirked. "I promise I can kick your scrawny ass."

"Is that so?" he smirked.

"Yep," I smirked.

"Prove it," he smirked. I looked over at Carlisle and cocked my eyebrow.

"I guess you had better show them," chuckled Carlisle.

"Let's go," I chuckled.

The seven of us made our way down to the elevator. We all climbed in and took it down to the gym. I made my way into the locker room and quickly changed into some shorts and a t-shirt. I pulled on my running shoes and made my way out to where the other's were waiting. Everyone but Carlisle looked down at my legs before moving upward. I just rolled my eyes. Emmett had changed into some shorts and t-shirt also.

"Ok, little girl, let's go," smirked Emmett. I went over and got on the mats.

"Carlisle, you can't really be letting her fight Emmett," said Edward. I turned and looked at him.

"First of all, he's not really letting me. Second of all, I can take him," I snapped.

"Edward, she can take him. I promise," sighed Carlisle, giving Edward a curious look. Edward quickly turned his head away. Carlisle looked back at me and Emmett. "Whenever you two are ready."

"Let's go," I said.

I turned back to Emmett. He just chuckled as he came at me. I ducked out of the way of his arms. I turned and kicked him on the back sending him to the mats. He sprang up and came at me again. He tried to grab me again but I managed to turn and grab his arm and threw him over my shoulder. I slammed him down on the mats and twisted his arm behind his back while I wrapped my legs around his waist. He flipped us so that he was hovering over me. I heard the others snicker. I pulled my leg up and flipped him over my head and landed so that I was straddling his chest. I heard them all moan this time. I pinned his arms down and he used his legs to pull me off of him. I swept my foot under his legs and caused him to fall back onto the mats on his stomach. I quickly grabbed his arms and slapped my cuffs on him while I dug my knee into his back causing his legs to become useless.

"Anyone else doubt that I can take care of myself?" I snapped as I looked at the others. They all had their mouths hanging wide open, except for Carlisle.

"How the fuck did you do that?" asked Garrett as I took my cuffs off Emmett.

"Bella is a black belt in judo and jujitsu," explained Carlisle. They all snapped their eyes over to me, except for Edward who just looked away.

"No shit?" asked Ben.

"Yep," I chuckled. Emmett stood up and looked at me. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just surprised," said Emmett. "How old are you?"

"I'm 26," I said.

"Bella, Emmett, get changed and get back upstairs," said Carlisle. "We need to brief Bella."

"Yes, sir," I said.

I made my way back into the dressing room and took a quick shower before I pulled on my cloths. I made my way back to the elevator. When the door opened I stepped out and made my way down to our office. I walked in and everyone looked up at me.

"Bella, this is your desk here," said Carlisle, pointing at the desk in front of Edward's.

"Thank you," I said. I went over and sat down.

"Now, how much do you know about the RSB case?" asked Carlisle.

"Three woman have been found raped, strangled and burned along the western seaboard in LA, Portland and the first here in Seattle. No clues have been found to give us any idea who the killer is. All three girls were in their early twenties. They were last seen leaving their college libraries. They were found in city parks three days after they disappeared. Forensics hasn't been able to pick up anything useful but I don't think they know what to look for," I explained.

"And what's that?" asked Edward. I looked over at him.

"His calling card," I said. "The man responsible for these murders has probably left us a clue at each scene."

"A clue?" asked Jasper. I looked over at him.

"Yes, I believe the man who is killing here is leaving us a clue at each scene. More than likely hidden where he thinks we won't look and so far he's been right," I said.

"How do you know this?" asked Emmett.

"He wants us to catch him. He's telling us who his next victim is," I explained.

"What makes you think so?" asked Garrett.

"It's just based on the profile I put together," I said.

"A profile?" asked Ben.

"Yes," I said. "I suspect our killer is in his late twenty's. I think he is a white male. He is probably a professional. He has money but isn't flashy with it. I think he loves the feeling he gets when he kills these girls."

"What makes you think he has money?" asked Emmett. I went over and pointed to the tire tracks found at the first crime scene.

"These are tires from a 1953 Porsche. They are the most expensive tires you can buy. Based from what I can tell from the dents in the dirt, all four tires are new which would have cost him well over $5000," I explained. They were all just staring at me. "What?"

"How can you tell what kind of tires those are by looking at the picture?" asked Jasper.

"I know cars," I said.

"Bella, Edward, go down to the first crime scene and see of you can find anything new," said Carlisle.

"Fine," huffed Edward as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, sir," I said grabbing my jacket.

I followed Edward down to the elevator. We stepped in and took it to the lobby. He didn't say a word to me. I followed him out of the building and to a silver Volvo. I climbed into the passenger seat while he climbed into the drivers seat. I buckled my seat belt and he took off to the first crime scene.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you've been a cop for seven years?" Edward asked as we headed to the first crime scene.

"Yes, I graduated from the academy at 19," I said.

"That's pretty young," he said. "You didn't want to go to college?"

"I did go to college. I graduated with my masters in criminal justice and criminal psychology when I was eighteen," I said. He cocked an eyebrow at me. "I graduated high school at fourteen. I have a photographic memory."

"And you became a cop?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Why?" he asked. "You could have been a doctor or a lawyer?"

"My dad is the chief of police back home. I just knew I wanted to be a cop," I said.

"How does he feel about his little girl hunting down killers?" asked Edward.

"He doesn't much like it," I said as he pulled the car up to a park.

"This is were we found the first girl," said Edward as we got out. "Her name was Erin Walters. She was a 23 yr old grad student at UW. She was last seen walking out of the campus library at 9pm. Three days later, her body was found here by two joggers. Forensics wasn't able to pull any DNA from her."

"He won't leave any," I said as I looked around. "He's too smart for that."

"You're probably right," said Edward.

"How big was the crime scene?" I asked as I saw some trees about fifty yards away.

"Thirtyy yard radius," said Edward.

"It's in the trees," I said, pointing to the trees. I started over there but Edward grabbed my arm. I felt a tingle shot through my arm. "What?"

"What makes you think he left something in the trees?" asked Edward, rudely.

"You see the angle from the trees to the crime scene?" I asked, pointing it out.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"It would be a good place to put a camera, don't you think?" I asked.

"You think he video the dump?" asked Edward as we made our way over.

"Yes, I do," I said as I looked around the trees. I finally saw the camera. "It's right there."

"Fuck," he muttered. "How did you know that?"

"Just a guess," I said. "Give me a boost."

"No," He chuckled. I looked back at him. "I'm not letting you climb the tree. I'll do it."

"The branch will break under your fat ass," I snapped.

"My ass isn't fat," he snapped. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll give you a boost."

I stepped into his hands and he pushed me up into the tree. I made my way up and over to the branch with the camera. It had been wrapped in plastic so it wouldn't get wet. I pulled on my gloves and bagged it. I made my way back down. Edward grabbed my hands and helped me out of the tree. I landed on the ground with his arms around me. He slowly dropped his hands from my back.

"He wrapped it in plastic so it wouldn't get wet," I said softly.

"We should get this back to the office," said Edward. I could feel his breath on my face. It felt good.

"Yeah," I said taking at step back.

We made our way back over to the car. We climbed in and headed back to the office. Edward parked in his spot and we made our way up the elevator. We stepped off and went down to our office. Everyone looked back at us as we came in.

"He left us a video," said Edward.

"Where'd you find it, Edward?" asked Jasper.

"It was up in a tree," said Edward.

"Nice find, man," said Emmett.

"Yeah, thanks," said Edward as he cataloged the tape. He looked back at me and I just glared at him.

"Let's take a look at the tape," said Carlisle.

Edward hooked the camera up and started it. For a few minutes, we didn't see anything. Then a light color 1953 Porsche pulled up. A man dressed in black with a black hat pulled over his eyes climbed out. He made his way over to the passenger seat and pulled Erin Walter's dead body out. He dragged her out into the middle of the park. He knew she would be found. He poured some gasoline on her and set her a blaze. He came over to the camera and kept his head ducked as he held up a picture of a girl with long brown hair.

"That's his second victim, Sarah Briggs," said Emmett turning off the video. "She was found in Portland."

"Garrett, call the Portland office and have them do a sweep of the crime scene again," said Carlisle. "Ben, give LA a call and have them do the same."

"They need to widen their search. The camera we found was fifty yards from the body," I said.

"Ok," said Garrett as he and Ben picked up their phone.

"Bella, Edward, take the camera and tape down to forensics. Maybe we'll get lucky," said Carlisle.

"Ok," I said. I grabbed the camera and tape and headed over to the elevator with Edward following me. We stepped into the elevator.

"I'm sorry," said Edward.

"For what?" I snapped.

"Taking credit for the find," said Edward.

"It doesn't really matter," I said as the doors opened. "I'm just a girl, right?"

"Bella-" started Edward.

"Eddie, how's it going?" asked a bleach blond woman with way too much make-on.

"Lauren, how many times have I told you not to call me Eddie?" snapped Edward.

"I was thinking maybe we could go get a drink after work," she said. I just rolled my eyes.

"We need this camera and tape ran through forensics. Check for the usual," I said, handing her the bag.

"You are?" she snapped.

"This is my new partner, Bella Swan. Bella, this is Lauren Mallory," said Edward. Lauren gave me the once over and chuckled.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella. Those are some nice…shoes," she chuckled. Edward chuckled slightly while I just rolled my eyes at her.

"Thanks," I said dryly. "Call me if you get anything."

I turned and went back over to the elevator. I stepped in and saw Lauren running her hand down Edward's chest. He looked over at me and frowned just slightly as the doors closed. I went back up to the office and spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing the case files. Edward came up a few minutes after I did but didn't say anything to me. Just after seven I stood up and gathered my stuff up.

"Hey, Bell, we were going to get a beer. Want to join us?" asked Carlisle. I looked over to see everyone but Edward standing by the door to the elevator.

"Sorry, I'm meeting Alice and Rose at Denali's," I said.

"That's where we are going. Come on, they can join us too. First rounds on me," said Emmett.

"I guess I can let you buy me a beer after I kicked your ass," I chuckled.

"Exactly," he smirked. I just laughed as I followed them down to the elevator. We stepped on and made our way down to the lobby. "So you're from New York?"

"No, I'm from Forks but I went to school at NYU," I said as the doors opened.

"I'm from Port Angeles," chuckled Emmett.

"Small world," I chuckled as we made our way over to our cars.

I climbed into my car and headed over to Denali's. I parked next to Rose's BMW. I climbed out and made my way inside. They were both sitting at the bar. They turned and gave me a smile as I went over and sat down next to them.

"You know how you both love me and would do anything for me?" I asked.

"What do you want, Bell?" asked Rose.

"I need you to have a beer with the rest of my team," I said. They both just looked at me.

"No," said Rose.

"Rosie, please. Look they already think I can't do my job because I'm a girl. Please do this for me and I will go shopping on my next day off," I begged.

"Make it a night at a club and you have a deal," she smirked. "And you have to let me and Ali dress you."

"Fine," I huffed as the others came in. Jasper came over to us while the others got a table.

"Are you joining us?" asked Jasper, giving Alice the once over.

"Yes, we are," smirked Alice, giving him a sexy smile.

"Good," smirked Jasper. We followed Jasper to the others.

"Everyone, these are my sisters, Rose and Alice. Girls, this is Emmett McCarty, Jasper Whitlock, Garrett Mitchell, Ben Cheney, and you know Carlisle," I said as we sat down.

"It's nice to see you both again," said Carlisle.

"Whatever," they both mumbled. I glared at them and they glared back at me.

"It's lovely to meet you ladies," said Emmett, staring right at Rose.

"It certainly is," she purred at him. I just rolled my eyes as the waitress came over.

"Hey, Baby, how was work today?" asked the blond with as she wrapped her arms around Garrett.

"It was good. Kate, this is Bella Swan and her sisters, Rose and Alice. Bella joined our team today," said Garrett. "Bella, this is my wife Kate. She owns this fine bar."

"It's nice to meet you, Kate," I said, shaking her hand.

"You too, Bella," said Kate, giving me the once over. "Are you sure you can handle this job?"

"Yes," I said a bit harsher than I meant.

"Baby, she took Em down," chuckled Garrett. Her eyes got wide as she looked from me to Emmett.

"She did some voodoo and rendered my legs useless," grumbled Emmett. Everyone looked at me.

"I hit his pressure point in his back," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Bella, I have a feeling you are going to be just fine with the team," chuckled Kate as she looked up at the door. "Except for with him. A full round?"

"Yes," said Garrett as I turned and saw Edward come in with Lauren on his arm. They came over and sat down with us.

"Hey guys," said Edward. "Kate, how are you?"

"I'll just go get those beers," said Kate before she turned and walked back to the bar.

"So Bella, you're a cop?" asked Lauren in a hateful tone.

"Yes," I said.

"Why?" she snickered.

"I like the feeling a gun in my hand. It's probably how you feel with a cock in your mouth," I snapped. Everyone just chuckled under their breath.

"I'm sure you would know what a cock feels like. Good way to move up the career ladder," she snapped. Edward snickered while I glared at the both of them.

"Rose, what do you do for a living?" asked Emmett, trying to change the subject.

"I'm a photographer for Vogue," said Rose, shooting me a grateful smile.

"You are the one who captures the beautiful ladies," said Emmett as Kate left our beers on the table. I took a big swig of mine. "I guess when you are as beautiful as you are you just know what to look for."

"I guess so but I much prefer shooting men. Big brawny, strong men," smirked Rose. Emmett's eyes got big.

Emmett and Jasper spent the next two hours flirting relentlessly with Alice and Rose. They flirted back. I got to know Ben and Garrett a little better while they all flirted with each other. Ben and Carlisle left after the first beer. Garrett left with Kate after the second. I just sat there after my first beer and watched my sister's flirt while Edward and Lauren made out at the table. I felt so out of place with all the couples. I never loved Jake but times like this is when it's hard not having someone. After about an hour of this, I got tired of it and decided to go home.

"I'm leaving," I said standing up.

"Bella, stay for a while," said Alice.

"No, thanks. The sexual tension between you all is killing me," I said, glaring at Edward who had finally pulled his lips away from Lauren's. "Besides, I need to get some stuff ready to send to Jake."

"He called this morning," said Rose.

"I'll call him back," I said. "Later guys."

I looked back at Edward, who was staring at me while Lauren assaulted his neck with her tongue. I just turned away and walked out of the bar. I climbed into my car and headed back to the apartment. I let myself in and made my way into my bedroom. I pulled out my cell phone and climbed on my bed. I dialed Jacob and waited for him to answer.

"Hello."

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey," he said softly. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just a long day dealing with assholes at work," I said softly. "Rose said you called this morning."

"Yeah. I just wanted to know where to send your stuff," he said softly. I let a tear roll down my face.

"I'll text you my address," I whispered through my tears. "Leah feeling ok?"

"Yeah, mornings are pretty rough but she's ok," whispered Jake.

"That's good," I sobbed softly. "Take care of them."

"I will," he whispered. "I'm sorry for how this all came about."

"Me too," I whispered. "I've to got to go."

"Bella-"

"See you, Jake," I whispered as I hung up the phone.

I set my cell phone on the table and stripped out of my cloths into my pajamas. I climbed into my bed and cried myself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning and took a hot shower. My head was killing me from crying so much last night. I went back in to my room and pulled on my black pants, white dress shirt and boots. I went out to the kitchen but Alice and Rose weren't here. I went and checked their rooms and neither of their beds had been slept in. Just fucking great. I locked the apartment behind me and went out to my car. I pulled out my cell phone as I pulled my car out and called Rose first. It went straight to her voice mail.

"Rosalie Lillian Swan, you had better call me soon. You know better than to stay out all night without calling me. Don't make me call Charlie," I snapped into the phone.

I hung up and called Alice leaving her a similar message. I pulled my car up into my parking space and made my way inside. I made my way up to the office and sat down at my desk. I was the only person there. I started to go through the case files from our third victim. I was looking at the crime scene pictures when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to see Carlisle smiling at me.

"You doing ok, Bell?" he asked as he came over and sat down next to me.

"Yeah, I'm ok," I said.

"How's Jake?" asked Carlisle. I closed my eyes for a moment.

"He's fine, I guess. He's marrying Leah," I said giving him a pointed look.

"He is?" asked Carlisle.

"Yep, apparently he doesn't like to keep it in his pants. He knocked her up," I said.

"Fucking asshole," muttered Carlisle.

"What'd I do?" chuckled Emmett as he came into the office followed by Jasper and Edward. I shook my head at Carlisle.

"Not you," said Carlisle. "Bella, Edward, they want you in the lab."

"Yes, sir," I said. Carlisle just winked at me before he went into his office. I got up and went over to Jasper and Emmett. "If you fuck with my sisters, I will fucking hurt you. They don't need either of you to lead them on."

"We won't," said Jasper, putting his hands up.

"Yeah, Bella. We aren't like that," said Emmett.

"I really hope not," I snapped. They both flinched back slightly.

"Can we go already?" snapped Edward. I turned and glared at him.

"Yeah," I snapped. I followed him down to the elevator. We stepped in and the doors closed behind us.

"You're in a bad mood," said Edward.

"Long night," I said.

"You ok?" asked Edward. "Your sister's told us about Jacob."

"Fucking bitches," I mumbled. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" he asked as the doors opened.

"Yeah," I said. I walked out and went over to where Lauren was waiting for us.

"Edward, I had a great time last night," she said softly. I just rolled my eyes at her.

"What do you have for us?" asked Edward, pushing her hand off his chest.

"The camera was clean. No prints, DNA or anything." said Lauren.

"You called us down here nothing?" I snapped.

"No, we got a partial profile off the tape," She snapped.

"Then let's see it," I snapped.

"Fine," she snapped. She handed us a picture of the suspect. I studied the picture for a moment.

"This doesn't tell us anything," said Edward.

"He's a marine," I said as I closed my eyes. "Fuck."

"What makes you think so?" asked Edward.

"The tattoo behind his ear," I said. I turned and made my way over to the elevator. Edward came over and grabbed my arm.

"Would you like to explain how you know this?" asked Edward.

"No," I said as I pulled my arm from his and stepped into the elevator. He stepped inside with me.

"Why not?" asked Edward.

"Because I really don't want to be right," I said.

"I don't understand," said Edward as the door opened on our floor. I led him down to Carlisle's office. I knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Carlisle. I opened the door and went over and handed him the picture.

"Look behind his left ear," I said. Carlisle studied the picture for a moment before he snapped his head up to me.

"You think it's him?" asked Carlisle.

"Fits the profile," I said. "Same tattoo."

"I thought he was in jail," said Carlisle.

"He was until a year ago. He got out on a technicality," I said.

"Fuck," muttered Carlisle. He snapped his head up at me. "You're off this."

"WHAT?" I yelled. "NO FUCKING WAY."

"BELLA, IT'S TOO DANERGOUS. IF HE KNOWS YOU ARE ON THIS CASE, HE WILL COME AFTER YOU AGAIN," yelled Carlisle as he walked out of his office.

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT, CARLISLE. HE WON'T GET TO ME AGAIN," I yelled. He turned and glared at me.

"NO, I WON'T RISK IT," he yelled. "I WON'T RISK YOU AGAIN."

"WHY DID BRING ME IN HERE IF YOU ARE JUST GOING TO GO ALL PAPA BEAR ON ME?" I yelled.

"I brought you in here because you are the best cop I've ever seen but you are too close to this case, Bella," said Carlisle. He took a deep breath. "Please, Bell, I almost lost you last time."

"I've earned this after what he did," I whispered softly. Carlisle sighed and looked down at his feet. "Please, Car. You know I've earned this."

"Fine, but if he even…..then your off this case, understand?" said Carlisle.

"Yes," I said.

"Someone feel like explaining what the hell is going on," snapped Edward.

"Our possible suspects name is James Sanders. He's an ex-marine who we believed to be responsible for ten rapes in New York six years ago. He was only convicted of one case of attempted sexual battery but apparently was released on a technicality," said Carlisle, looking at me.

"How do you know it's him?" asked Emmett. I looked over at him.

"I was the cop that arrested him after he tried to rape me," I said. They all gasped and looked at Carlisle then back at me. "Carlisle was my partner at the precinct in New York that I worked at. I was new to the special victims unit. We were investigating a serial rapist but we couldn't find any DNA, fingerprints, nothing. None of his victims could identify him because he blind folded them and kept them on their stomachs while he brutalized them for days. He became obsessed with me after I started working on the case. He started sending us letters with pictures of me at my apartment, at work, everywhere. So we thought we could set him up. We could use me as bait. So I went and sat in a coffee shop alone. He had sent me several pictures of me in this shop so we figured he would be watching. They spotted him as he came down the street but we had to make sure. All our evidence was circumstantial. He came in and sat down at the end of the counter. After a while, I got up and made my way out of the coffee shop. I knew he wasn't going to try anything in the open. We didn't think he took the bait. So I went home. I had moved at this point into a new apartment. I went to bed. I was woken I felt someone climb on my bed. He climbed on me but I kicked him off. He went flying across the room. I scrambled to my feet and tried to get out of the room but he caught my foot and slammed me on the ground. He slammed his foot on my leg and broke it. He climbed on top of me and I saw his face. He hit me a few times while he groped me but I dug my finger into his eye. He fell off of me screaming. I was able to cuff him as the police showed up. They took him off," I explained.

"When we searched his apartment, we found 1000's of photos of her on his wall. He was obsessed with her. He burned his prints off which is why we won't find any. He's an expert in covert operations which is why he is able to snatch the girls without anyone seeing him," said Carlisle.

"She's off this case," said Edward. I turned and glared at him. "Don't look at me like that. You are too close to this."

"I am not off this case," I snapped.

"I won't let you use your personal vendetta to compromise this case," snapped Edward.

"It won't," I snapped.

"You can't know that, Bella," said Emmett. I turned and glared at him. They all were nodding their head in agreement, except for Carlisle.

"You know what, you can all go straight to hell. I'm a good cop. I do my job better than any of you. I won't let him get to me," I snapped. I turned to Carlisle. "I fucking quit."

I handed him my gun and badge and made my way down to the stairs. I could hear Carlisle yelling at them as I made my way down the stairs. I had just reached the bottom floor when he caught up with me.

"You're not quitting," he said.

"Yes, I am," I said.

"No, you're not." he said. "Let's go workout."

"I don't want to," I said.

"I don't give a shit," said Carlisle, pulling me into the gym. "Go change."

"Fine," I said.

I went into the dressing room and quickly changed into my shorts and t-shirt. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I went out and stretched on the mats for a minute until Carlisle came back out. He pulled me into the ring. We got our hands taped and gloved. He just winked at me as he came at me with a right. I ducked and hit him with my left. He came back with a left and I hit him with my right. We continues like this for about an hour before we both collapsed on the mats.

"Feel better?" asked Carlisle.

"Not really," I said. I looked over at him. "Rose and Alice told Emmett, Jasper and Edward about Jake."

"Oh," said Carlisle.

"Yeah," I said.

"You know Jake's an idiot for letting you go," said Carlisle.

"I don't love Jake. I never did but it hurts that he could think so little of me as to lie to me about their relationship," I said.

"He didn't want to hurt you," said Carlisle. "Neither did I, Bell."

"You didn't. When you left, we were already done," I said, giving him a soft smile. "How's Esme?"

"She's great. She wants you to come for dinner tonight," said Carlisle, wrapping his arm around me. "She misses you."

"I miss her too." I said, laying my head on his shoulder. "What time is dinner?"

"6:30," said Carlisle. "You can spend the night at our house. Izzy would love to see her Auntie Bella."

"Ok," I said. "I'll stay the night. You know for Izzy."

"Good, because she would be pissed at me. I don't think I can handle a pissed off three year old," chuckled Carlisle.

"She's feisty like her mom," I chuckled.

"That she is," chuckled Carlisle. "You ready to get to get back to work?"

"Yeah," I said.

Carlisle and I got up and went to change in the dressing room. I took a quick shower and changed into my work cloths. I met Carlisle outside of the dressing rooms. We made our way up to our office. We walked back up and everyone looked over at us. They all exchanged a look and I rolled my eyes at them. I knew exactly what they are thinking.

"Listen up," said Carlisle. "If you have problem with Bella being here I suggest you get over it right now. She's the best cop I've ever seen. We are lucky she agreed to come work with us. She is on this case until I decide she's off of it. Do you understand?"

"Yes," they all said.

"Good, now get back to work," said Carlisle. He went back to his office and I went back to my desk.

"Bella, I didn't mean to upset you," said Emmett. I turned and looked at him.

"Yes, you did," I said. I looked at all of them. "I understand you've been working on this case for months. Believe me I understand. I want to get him off the street just as badly as you do, more so even, but I will not let my personal feeling about him get in the way of doing my job."

"I hope not," said Edward. I turned and looked at him. "Enough people have been hurt by him without adding you to the body count."


	5. Chapter 5

Edward just turned around and went back to his work. Everyone else just went back to their desks. I sat down and went back to work. A little after 2pm, I got a call from the front desk telling me that Alice and Rose were down there. I just sighed as I made my way down to the elevator. I went down to the lobby. They were waiting for me by the doors.

"Let's go for a walk," I said, grabbing their arms.

"Bella, don't be mad," said Alice as we walked out of the building.

"Why should I be mad?" I asked. "Could it be that my two beautiful sisters fucked two men that I work with and stayed out all night without thinking that I would be worried when they didn't come home or at least call and tell me that they weren't dead or hadn't been sold into human slavery? Or maybe it's that my two bitchy sisters told them about the man who fucking cheated on me which just makes me look like a sad, weak female who can't handle her personal life?"

"We shouldn't have told them about Jake. We're sorry but I really like Emmett," said Rose. I stopped and looked at her. "He's a good guy, Bella."

"Jasper's a good guy too, Bella. I really like him," said Alice. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Fine, but just be careful," I whispered.

"We will," said Alice.

"What to get some dinner tonight?" asked Rose.

"I can't. I'm going to Carlisle's for dinner," I said. "I'm staying the night."

"Oh," said Rose shortly, exchanging a look with Alice.

"It's not like that with us anymore and you fucking know it," I snapped. "Esme invited me and I haven't seen Izzy since they came to New York."

"Fine, just be careful," said Rose, throwing my words back at me.

"Rosie, he's my friend. Our relationship ended a long time ago," I said.

"I know, Bella," said Rose. "Just be careful."

"I am," I said softly. "I had better get back to work."

"Ok, we'll see you tomorrow," said Alice. "Love you, Bell and Ro."

"Love you too, Ali and Ro," I whispered.

"Love you, Bell and Ali," whispered Rose.

I hugged my sisters before I made my way back into the building. I went back to our offices and went back to work. I know they are concerned about my relationship with Carlisle but things with us were over a long time ago. I had just started with the unit in New York when Carlisle and I started seeing each other. Strictly speaking, our relationship was frowned on because we were partners but we never let it get in the way of the job. The sex was great and he was great to me. We had fun. We had been seeing each other for a year when James Sanders focused on me. Carlisle didn't handle it very well and pushed to get me transferred to another department but I refused to let them. Since I was the only way to get him, the brass agreed with me. Carlisle wasn't happy about it. He started pulling away from me over the next few weeks. Then when James attacked me in my apartment, he was pissed off. He blamed me for letting him get to me. He left for Seattle the next week. He came back a few months later and we talked. We both agreed that our relationship wasn't working anyway. He had just met Esme and was in love with her. As soon as I saw them together, I knew they were soul mates. They were married six months later. Two yeas later, my goddaughter, Isabella, was born.

I hadn't seen Esme or Izzy since Carlisle brought them with him to convince me to come work with him. He knew I wouldn't without bribery. Jake and I went to dinner with him but they didn't like each other. They ended up screaming at each other over desert. Jake made a couple comments about me being his. I just looked at him and told him I wasn't his. I told Carlisle I would take the job and went home. Jake was beyond pissed. He told me I was putting my career before him and I told him my career was better than him. I guess that's when he went running to Leah. I can't say I blame him but it didn't help that he was still fucking me while he was fucking her.

"Bell, you ready?" asked Carlisle. I looked over at him.

"Yeah," I said, gathering my stuff. I turned to the others. "See you guys later."

"Yeah," they all said shortly. I followed Carlisle down to the elevator. I saw Edward watching us as the doors closed.

"You work everything out with Rose and Alice?" asked Carlisle.

"Yeah, they told me to be careful with you," I chuckled.

"They still think I'm stringing you on," he chuckled.

"Yeah," I said. "Or it could be all the sex they heard us having when we were together."

"You were always so loud," chuckled Carlisle as we stepped off the elevator.

"I wasn't the one who was moaning so loud they woke up Charlie that Christmas," I snickered.

"Is he still pissed at me?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes," I laughed. "Not really. He just thinks you're an ass for talking me into coming to work for you."

"I probably am," chuckled Carlisle as we climbed into his car. "I'm really sorry things didn't work out with Jake."

"I'm not. He was a jerk. I only stayed with him because the sex was great," I said. "Besides, he loves her."

"You know great sex isn't a reason to stay in a relationship with someone," said Carlisle as we headed to his house.

"I know but most men take one look at the badge and turn away. I doubt I'll ever find real love. I might as well settle for great sex," I said, looking out the window.

"I thought the same thing until I meet Esme," said Carlisle.

"Yeah but not all of us can land a hot little ass like hers," I chuckled.

"Bell, don't start talking about her ass like that," he moaned.

"You and your little fantasies," I chuckled.

"A man can always hope to get two beautiful women in his bed," he chuckled.

"I never said we wouldn't get in your bed. I just said you won't be with us," I snickered as he parked in front of his house. I climbed out quickly.

"Bella, you tease," chuckled Carlisle as we went inside.

"How is she teasing you this time?" chuckled Esme. I went over and hugged her. She reached down and grabbed my ass. "You smell delicious, Baby."

"Like that," groaned Carlisle. Esme and I just chuckled as we pulled away.

"Baby, you couldn't handle both of us," chuckled Esme.

"That's the truth," chuckled Carlisle as Izzy came running in. She jumped into Carlisle's arms.

"DADDY!" she squealed. She had Esme's auburn hair but Carlisle's blue eyes.

"There's my princess," laughed Carlisle. "Look who came to see you."

"Auntie Bella," squealed Izzy as she jumped from Carlisle's arms into mine. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Izzy. Are you taking care of your mommy and daddy?" I asked.

"Yes, even though they make me eat my vegetables," she pouted.

"I like vegetables," I whispered. Her eyes widen and she smiled.

"You do?" she whispered.

"Yes, I bet your mommy makes the best vegetables," I whispered.

"She does," whispered Izzy. "I think I like them now."

"Good girl," I whispered.

"Izzy, go wash your hands," said Esme. I set the little girl down.

"Come on, Auntie Bella. Let's go wash our hands," she said pulling on me.

"Ok, sweetheart," I chuckled as I let her pull me down to the bathroom.

We quickly washed our hands and dried them. She pulled me back into the dinning room. She pulled me into the seat next to hers. Carlisle and Esme came in with dinner. They sat down and Izzy spent the entire dinner telling me about her new pre-school. Carlisle and Esme tried to get her to stop but I shushed them. As soon as dinner was over, Izzy pulled me into her room. We played with her dolls for a little while before Esme came in and told her it was time for bed. I laid down with her and told her a story about growing up with Rose and Alice. She snuggled into my arms as she drifted off to sleep. I kissed her forehead before I slipped out of her bed. I shut her bedroom door and went back into the living room where Carlisle and Esme were sitting. I sat down next to Esme and leaned my head on her shoulder.

"She is such a sweet little girl," I said softly.

"She has missed you so much," said Esme wrapping her arm around me. "I have too."

"I missed you too, Esme," I whispered.

"Car told me about Jake. I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I am too," I whispered. "I'm going to go to bed."

"Ok, I left you some of my pajamas and clothes on the bed in the guest room," said Esme.

"Thanks, Esme," I whispered.

I got up and made my way into the guest room. I changed into the pajamas and went into the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth. I went back into the bedroom and climbed into bed. I climbed in and fell asleep quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning after I had a nightmare about James Sanders. I hadn't had one of him in two years. I climbed out of the bed and went and took a hot shower. I turned off the water and dried off. I pulled on the jeans and blouse that Esme had left for me. They were a little too big but they would work. I went into the kitchen and found Carlisle, Esme, and Izzy sitting at the table. Carlisle and Esme both looked at me and I knew they heard me screaming from the nightmare. I just shook my head at them as I sat down next to Izzy.

"Auntie Bella, were you having a bad dream last night?" she whispered as she climbed into my lap.

"Yes, sweetheart. I was dreaming that your mommy never made me vegetables again," I whispered.

"That would be scary," she whispered. "I promise she will make you vegetables."

"Thank you, Izzy," I whispered.

"Izzy, go get your stuff for school," said Esme.

"Ok, Mommy," said Izzy. She threw her arms around my neck. "I love you, Auntie Bella."

"I love you too, sweetheart," I whispered as I hugged her. She climbed off my lap and went into the other room. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Esme. "I can schedule you some time today."

"I'm fine, Esme, but I'll let you know if I change my mind," I said softly.

"Ok, Bella. Just be careful," said Esme as Izzy came back in.

"Mommy, I'm ready for school," said Izzy.

"Ok, sweetheart, I'm coming," said Esme. Izzy came over and hugged Carlisle.

"I love you, Daddy." whispered Izzy.

"I love you too, Izzy. Be a good girl at school," said Carlisle.

"I will," said Izzy. She and Esme headed out to the garage. Carlisle turned and looked at me.

"I'm fine, Carlisle. I just wasn't expecting him," I said.

"I wasn't either," said Carlisle. "You ready to head in?"

"Yeah," I said.

Carlisle and I made our way out to his car. We climbed in and drove to the office in silence. We made our way to our office. As soon as we walked in, everyone stopped talking and stared us. I just rolled my eyes as I went over to my desk.

"LA sent us the picture of his next victim," said Emmett. He put her picture up on the over head. She was an beautiful girl with long brown hair.

"Do we know anything about her?" asked Carlisle.

"No," said Jasper. I went up and studied her picture.

"She's a student at UC Berkeley," I said.

"How can you know that?" snapped Edward.

"The library in the back. It the campus library. Rose went to Berkeley. I've been there a dozen times," I explained, ignoring his attitude.

"Ok, Bella, Edward, you head to San Francisco," said Carlisle. "Emmett, you and Jasper run her picture to see of get a hit. Garrett, I want you to call the LA office and get them to send everything they have."

"Yes, sir," we all said.

Edward and I made out way out of the office. We climbed into his car and I sent a quick text message to Alice and Rose letting them know I would be out of town. We drove to the airport and climbed onto the FBI plane. We took off and I pulled out the case file on the other three victims.

"What's going on between you and Carlisle?" asked Edward. I looked up at him.

"Nothing. We're friends," I said.

"He seemed pretty worked up yesterday about you getting hurt for you two to just be friends" snapped Edward.

"What exactly are you saying, Edward?" I snapped.

"Are you fucking him?" he snapped. "Is that why he brought you here?"

"No," I snapped. "He brought me in because I am a good cop. He's my friend. We used to be partners in New York before he came to Seattle."

"Did you fuck him then?" snapped Edward.

"What business is that of yours?" I snapped.

"Because Esme is my sister. I won't let you or him hurt her," snapped Edward. I took a deep breath.

"I wouldn't do that to her. Esme is one of my best friend," I said softly. "Carlisle and I were seeing each other at the time of the attack. He got pissed with me for not leaving when James first focused on me. We had been drifting apart when James attacked me. Carlisle left me, Edward. He came to Seattle. I didn't hear from him for three months when he and Esme came to see me in New York. I'll admit I was hurt when he left me alone. I had a lot of issues to work out but I wasn't never mad at either of them. From the moment I saw them together, I knew they were in love. He and Esme are my best friends, my only friends."

"Look, I'm sorry for overreacting," said Edward. "Esme is my big sister. I just didn't want her to get hurt."

"I know. I'm the same way with my sisters," I said.

"They won't hurt them," said Edward. I looked up at him. "Em and Jas are good guys. They won't hurt your sisters."

"I hope your right," I said softly. "So you and Lauren?"

"No," chuckled Edward. "She was a mistake that I will never do again."

"I'm sure that will make her feel better," I said, looking back at the case files. "All four girls look alike."

"What?" asked Edward, moving to the seat next to me. "They do. They look like you."

"What?" I asked. "No, they don't."

"Yes, they do. They all are about your same height and weight. Same color hair. Same beautiful chocolate brown eyes," said Edward softly. I looked up at him. He looked me in the eye.

"You think my eyes are beautiful?" I whispered.

"Yes," he whispered. He shifted his eyes away from mine. "I mean they are nice."

"You think he targeting them because they look like me?" I asked.

"Yes, he could be trying to get the one the that got away," said Edward as our plane landed in San Francisco. "Which is why you need to get off this case."

"Don't start that shit again," I said as I got up. He reach out and grabbed my arm. I felt the tingle again.

"Bella, I don't…..I don't want you to get hurt," said Edward. I turned and looked back at him.

"I won't let him win, Edward," I said, pulling my arm out of his hand.

Edward just sighed as he followed me off the plane. We climbed into the car that was waiting for us. Edward called Carlisle and told him his theory about James finding girls that looked like me. I just rolled my eyes and took the phone from Edward and told Carlisle I wasn't off this case and hung up. I tossed the phone back to Edward, who grumbled under his breath at me. We pulled up in front of the admissions office at Berkeley. We made our way inside and up to the front desk.

"Can I help you?" asked the woman standing behind the counter.

"I'm Special Agent Mason. This is Special Agent Swan. We are looking for this woman," said Edward showing her the picture. "She might be a grad student."

"That's Angela Weber. She works in the campus library," said the woman.

"Thank you," I said.

Edward and I quickly made our way over to the library. We were about fifty feet from the doors when I saw her come out. She started walking in the opposite directions. That's when I saw him. He came out of the shadows and grabbed her from behind.

"It's him," I said, pulling my gun out.

"FBI FREEZE," yelled Edward as we ran toward where they were struggling. James looked up and his eyes widen when he saw me. He grinned as he let Angela go and turned and ran. "I'm on him. You get the girl."

"Ok," I said as I ran over to Angela. Edward took off running after James. Angela was crying on the ground. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, he just grabbed me," she cried as she clung to me.

"It's ok, Angela," I whispered.

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

"We were looking for you," I said as Edward came running back over to us.

"He's gone," said Edward. "Is she hurt?"

"No, just shaken," I said, pulling her up. "Angela, we need to take you with us down to FBI headquarters, ok?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

I led Angela back to the car while Edward followed us. I sat in the back seat with her while she cried. Edward drove us down to San Francisco office of the FBI. He called Carlisle who told us to check in with Marcus Stefan. Edward and I led Angela into the building and up to the Marcus's office. He looked up at us. He was an older man with black hair and black eyes.

"You must be Agents Swan and Mason,," said Marcus. "I'm Marcus Stefan."

"It's nice to meet you, sir. This is Angela Weber," I said. "We need a room."

"Certainly," said Marcus. He led us down the hallway to an empty interrogations room. "Can I get you anything to drink, Angela?"

"Some water, please," she whispered.

"I'll be right back," said Marcus. I led her into the room and helped her into her chair.

"Can we call your parents?" I asked.

"My parent's are dead," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"That's ok," said Angela. "They died a long time ago. Who was that man that grabbed me?"

"Have you ever seen him before?" asked Edward as Marcus came in with two agents following him.

"Here's your water," said Marcus. "This is Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley. I think they should sit in on the interview."

"Why?" I asked.

"We are going to have to keep her safe. We need to know about this case," said Mike.

"She's coming with us," said Edward.

"I am?" asked Angela. I sat down next to her.

"Angela, the man who is after you is very dangerous. We need to put you under protective custody. Seattle would be the safest place," I said.

"Bullshit," said Tyler. I snapped my head at him. "How are you going to protect her?"

"We will take care of her," I said.

"Like you did the other victims?" snapped Mike. "Two other girls died because you didn't find the video he left."

"I was the one who found it, asshole. I know more about this case than you do," I snapped.

"Everyone calm down," snapped Marcus. He turned and looked at me. "I though you were new to their team?"

"I am but I know this case," I said.

"Agent Swan is the one who knew to look for a calling card. She did the profile that has led us to the suspect. She was the one who identified the suspect and knew that Angela was here at Berkeley," said Edward. "She's in control of this case."

"How did you know I was here?" asked Angela.

"I knew the library. My sister came to Berkeley" I explained.

"I bet he's fucking her," whispered Mike to Tyler under his breath. I snapped my head at him.

"What the fuck did you day?" I snapped. He turned and smirked at me.

"How else is he giving you credit for his work?" smirked Mike. I lunged for him but Edward pulled me back.

"Newton, that's enough," snapped Marcus. He turned to face me. "Now are you sure you can protect her in Seattle?"

"Yes, sir," I said.

"Fine," said Marcus. "Take her but keep her safe. She's the only lead we've got to getting him."

"We know, sir," said Edward. "Angela, let's get to the airport."

"But I don't have any clothes," she said.

"I'll take care of it," I said.

Edward and I led Angela back down to the car. I sent Alice a message telling her what I needed for Angela. She sent me back a message telling me she would handle it. We boarded our plane back Seattle. Angela told us everything she knew about James Sanders, which wasn't much. She remembers seeing him a few weeks ago but nothing until today. We landed in Seattle and made our way back to the office. We went up and I led Angela over to my desk. Carlisle came out of his office with Ben and Garrett following him. Ben looked over at Angela and gasped.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ang?" whispered Ben. She snapped her head up at him.

"Ben?" she whispered through her tears. He came over and pulled her into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here. You're our witness?" he asked looking at her. He wiped her tears away gently.

"I guess so," she whispered, leaning into his hand. Carlisle cleared his throat and Ben looked back at us.

"We take it you know, Miss Weber?" chuckled Carlisle.

"We went to high school together in San Francisco," said Ben.

"So what do we know?" asked Carlisle, looking at me and Edward.

"She remembers seeing him a few weeks ago. I'm guessing that is when he took her picture. We were coming up on her when he came out of the shadows and grabbed her. He turned and saw us and took of running. I chased him but he disappeared," said Edward.

"Bell, it's him?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes. He knows I am on the case now," I said. "He recognized me."

"Fuck," muttered Carlisle. He looked up at me again.

"Don't even think about it. I am not off of this," I said as Emmett and Jasper came in.

"We've got everything from LA and Portland but they've got nothing more than we do," said Emmett. He looked between me and Carlisle. We were glaring at each other. "Lover's tiff."

"What the fuck did you say?" snapped Carlisle as he looked over at Emmett.

"We all know there's something going on between you two," snapped Emmett as he looked over at me.

"She fucking told you, didn't she?" I snapped.

"Yes," he snapped. "How could you do that to Esme?"

"I haven't done anything to Esme," I snapped. I looked at Garrett, Ben and Jasper who were all glaring at me. "Let me make this clear. Carlisle and I are not fucking each other. He and Esme are my friends. I've known them both for a long time."

"Bullshit," snapped Jasper. "Alice told me about him."

"What did she tell you?" I snapped. "Knowing that little bitch, she probably told you how he's been stringing me on for years. That's not true. Carlisle and I had a history that was over before he meet Esme. I haven't seen either of them but a few times in the past five years. Rose and Alice have their own issues with Carlisle."

"I know," snapped Jasper.

"If you have something to say then just say it, Whitlock," snapped Carlisle. He had a murderous look on his face.

"Fine, I will," snapped Jasper. "I know how you left her when she needed you, Carlisle."

"You don't know shit," snapped Carlisle. "I begged her to get off that case when he targeted her. She didn't listen to me. In case you haven't figured it out, she's fucking stubborn. If I hadn't been such a fucking ass, she wouldn't have been alone that night."

"Car, that's enough," I said. He looked over at me. "We've been through this. There's nothing you could have done to stop him."

"Bell, I…." trailed off Carlisle.

"I know," I whispered. "But we both knew that we weren't going to last."

"I know but I still should have been there for you," he said.

"If you had been, you wouldn't have come here and met Esme. You wouldn't have gotten the help you needed. You wouldn't have Izzy," I said softly. "I'm not mad at you, honey. I never was."

"I know," said Carlisle. He looked around at the others. "Mine and Bella's relationship is not a factor here. She's my best friend, ok?"

"Ok," they all said.

"Now, where are we taking Angela?" asked Carlisle.

"I've got her," said Ben. We all looked at him.

"Are you sure?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, I'll keep her safe," said Ben, looking back at Angela. She just smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Alice is bringing her some clothes," I said.

"We are here," sang Alice as she and Rose came in carrying several bags of clothes. She walked over to Angela. "These must be for you. I'm Alice and this is Rose. We are Bella's sisters."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Angela," said Angela. "Thanks for the clothes."

"You're welcome," said Alice.

"Oh, dearest sisters, may I have a word in private?" I snapped. They both looked at Emmett and Jasper who were ducking their heads then over at me.

"We didn't mean to," they both said.

"Now," I snapped. They just sighed as they followed me into an interrogation room. I shut the door behind us and turned and looked at them.

"Bella, stop being dramatic," said Rose.

"How could you tell them about me and Carlisle?" I asked as a tear fell from my eye. "I have lost any respect that I might have built up here."

"We didn't mean to hurt you," said Alice. "We went to dinner last night and they were upset about the case you are working on. They wouldn't give us anything but they said you and Carlisle got into a yelling match. I might have made a comment about you two always fighting before you fucked each other."

"Mary Alice, how could you?" I snapped. "They think I went and fucked him last night because you told them that. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get respect as woman cop? All you and Rose have done since I started here is sandbag me left and right. I know that you hate my career but it's important to me."

"Look, I'm sorry but you and Carlisle have had a weird relationship for a long time. I'm still not happy with how he left you," said Alice. "I mean Jesus Christ, Bella, he fucking left you while you were in the hospital."

"I don't care if you are unhappy with him, Alice. He's my best friend. Look, it took a lot for him to come back to New York and offer me this job, ok. I have forgiven him for leaving the way he did. That's all that matters," I said. "It's really none of your fucking business anyway."

"Fine, we're sorry, ok. We just worry about you, Bella. We don't want you to be alone," whispered Rose as a tear fell from her eye.

"I don't either, Rose, but it's not like guys are falling all over themselves to get to me," I whispered. "Just don't talk about me to them, ok?"

"Ok," she whispered. "Love you, Bell and Ali."

"Love you, Ro and Ali," I whispered.

"Love you, Ro and Bell," whispered Alice. "Can we go back out there now?"

"Go ahead," I whispered. "I need a minute."

"Ok," they whispered.

They left and I sat down at the table and let my tears fall. I know they mean well but they don't understand anything about me, Carlisle, or what we have been through together. There's a reason why I never told them or Charlie and Renee about James first attack.. Besides, it's not like I have much choice with men. They just don't understand that good men don't see me. I wiped off my tears and went back out to the office.

"I'm going home," I said, packing up my stuff. I ignored the glares from Garrett, Ben, Emmett, and Jasper. I ignored the sighs from Alice and Rose, too. I wasn't in the mood to be nice after I was called the office whore.

"I'll walk you out," said Edward.

"You don't have to," I said.

"I want to" said Edward.

"Whatever," I said. I went over to Carlisle's office. He was sitting at his desk with his face in his hands. "You going to be ok if I take off?"

"Yeah," said Carlisle. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"You didn't do anything, Car," I said. "If you need to talk later give me a call, k?

"I will," said Carlisle. He stood up. "Same thing goes to you. If you need me or Esme, k?"

"Ok," I said softly. I turned and headed down to the elevator with Edward following me. We stepped into the elevator and he turned to me.

"You ok?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter. All I am to all of you is a whore who slept my way here," I said as I fought my tears as the doors opened. I stepped out and headed out of the building.

"I don't see you like that," said Edward walking with me.

"Yes, you do," I said as we stopped at my car. "I have spent my entire life fighting against men who thought that just because I was a girl that I wasn't as tough as them. I have spent nearly my entire career trying to prove to people that I am smart enough, good enough, tough enough to do my job. It wasn't easy being the fourteen year old high school senior. It wasn't easy going to NYU alone but I did it. I worked my ass off and proved to a lot of people that I deserved to be there. Then I went to the academy where I had to work even harder to prove that I was good enough to be cop. Then I had to spend seven years in New York working my ass off to prove to the boys club that I deserved my rank. When Carlisle first approached me about coming here, I didn't want to because of this. I didn't want people thinking I fucked my way up because I didn't. I have been in two relationships. Carlisle left me and Jacob fucked around on me. I took this job because I want to be an FBI agent. I will never have the respect of any of you now."

"That's not true," whispered Edward as he wiped my tears off. I pulled my face away from him. "I respect you, Bella."

"No, you don't. Because if you did, you wouldn't have practically fucked Lauren in front of me. If you did, you wouldn't have taken credit for the camera that I found. If you did you would have stood up for me when Emmett called me a whore," I snapped. "Or when Newton made the comment about me fucking you. You are just as bad as they are, Edward. Only you've made you disgust with me being your partner more than obvious. You know what, I don't give a shit anymore because all I will ever be to any of you is a whore."

I turned and got into my car and left him standing there. I drove back to the apartment and went into my room. I shut the door and climbed onto my bed and let my tears fall freely. I rolled over and cried myself into a restless sleep. James stared in my nightmares all night.


	8. Chapter 8

I got up the next morning and went into the bathroom and took a long hot shower. I had woken up with yet another headache. I dried off and went back into my room. I pulled on my clothes and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I went into the kitchen. Rose and Alice were sitting at the table.

"Morning, Bella," said Alice. I ignored her as I went over and poured myself a cup of coffee. "You look great today."

"Bella, we know you are mad at us but we are sorry," said Rose. I snorted and looked over at them.

"Neither of you have any idea just how much damage you have done to my career not to mention our relationship as sisters," I snapped.

"We didn't mean too," said Alice.

"What exactly did you mean to do, Alice, when you told Emmett and Jasper about my PAST relationship with Carlisle?" I asked.

"They were upset," said Alice. "I just wanted to make them understand."

"Neither of you have any business talking about my private life to anyone, especially not people I work with," I said. "Don't you get that?"

"Yes, but-" started Rose.

"There are no buts, Rosie," I said. I set my coffee in the sink. I went over and pulled on leather jacket. "I'm moving out."

"What?" said Alice. "Bella, no."

"I can't stay here," I said, looking up at them. "Especially when you don't respect me."

I grabbed my keys and gun and left. I heard them calling after me but honestly, I didn't give a shit. They had proven yet again that I couldn't trust them. I climbed into my car and headed into the office.

I parked my car and headed up to the office. I ignored the looks from Garrett, Ben, Emmett, and Jasper as I walked over to my desk and locked my gun up. Edward started to say something but I just ignored him and went over to Carlisle's office. His door was open and he was laying with his head on top.

"Long night?" I asked as I leaned against the door frame. He looked up and rolled his eyes.

"That would be an understatement," said Carlisle. I went over and sat down. "How was yours?"

"Long," I said softly. "I think I need to talk to Esme."

"Another night of nightmares?" he asked. I nodded my head softly. "Why don't I see if she can meet us for lunch?"

"Sounds good," I said. "I'm moving out of Rose and Alice's."

"I'm not surprised," said Carlisle. "You can stay with us until you find something, if you want."

"Thanks but I don't think that would help anything," I said softly. "I'll stick it out with Rose and Alice until I find someplace."

"If you change your mind," said Carlisle.

"I know," I said standing up. "Thanks. Let me know about lunch, ok?"

"Ok," he said.

I went back out to my desk and started working. A few minutes later, Edward sighed and slammed his file on his desk. I looked up as he stood up and went over to Carlisle's office and shut the door. I turned back to my work but looked back up when I heard Carlisle yelling from behind the door. A few minutes later, his door opened and he came storming out with Edward following him. Edward was looking down at his feet. Carlisle looked pissed off.

"Listen up," snapped Carlisle. I looked around and saw everyone looking up at him. "Mason, has something he would like to say."

"I, um," started Edward. Carlisle turned and glared at him. It was never a good sign when Carlisle called you by your last name. Edward looked over at me for a moment before he turned to the rest of the team. "I didn't find the camera. Bella did."

"What?" asked Emmett. I kept my eyes on Edward. He was clearly embarrassed and ashamed.

"Bella was the one who found the camera," said Edward. I felt everyone turn and look at me but I just stared at Edward. "I took credit for her find and I was wrong. I'm sorry, Bella."

"Thank you, Edward," I said. Edward just nodded his head. Carlisle turned and glared at him.

"In my office now," he snapped. Edward turned and went into Carlisle's office. Carlisle took a deep breath and turned back to me. "Why didn't you tell me he took credit for your find?"

"You know why," I said, rolling my eyes. "Besides, it's not like it's the first time some man has taken credit for my work."

"This isn't the NYPD, Bell," chuckled Carlisle. I chuckled with him. "Esme will be here at one for lunch."

"Ok, thanks, Car," I said. I nodded toward his office as I stood up. "Don't be too hard on him. It's not his fault he's an ass."

"I won't," chuckled Carlisle before he turned and went back to his office.

I went over down to the break room to get a cup of coffee. Angela was sitting at the table with books spread out everywhere.

"Hey, Angela. How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm ok," she said softly. "You ok? You seemed to have a bad day yesterday."

"Nothing, I'm not used to," I said. I poured her a cup of coffee and sat down with her. "What are you studying?"

"Shakespeare," she said. "I'm working on my dissertation."

"What's your focus?" I asked. She smiled.

"Shakespeare's chauvinistic treatment of female characters," she chuckled.

"Very nice," I chuckled.

"Thanks," she chuckled.

"Why don't you take one of the empty offices?" I asked. "You'll have more room and privacy."

"I don't want to put anyone out," muttered Angela.

"You won't," I said, standing up. "Come on. I'll help you move you stuff."

"Ok," she said.

Angela and I gathered her books up and took them to one of the empty offices. I left her alone to get back to her work. I went back over to my desk. Edward was back but he didn't look up at me. I knew Carlisle chewed his ass out good. I didn't really feel too bad for him. I just sat back down and went back to work. I wanted to find out as much information as we could on James Sanders.

I was in the middle of the LA file when I heard the elevator doors open. I looked up and saw Esme step out. I stood up and went over and hugged her.

"It's ok, Bell," she whispered. She pulled away from me. "It's going to be ok."

"I hope so," I whispered. She looked past me and narrowed her eyes at Edward.

"Edward Mason," she snapped. Edward snapped his head up at her. I swear he flinched.

"Esme?" he asked. She marched over to him.

"I'm disappointed in you, Edward," she snapped. Emmett, Jasper, Garrett, and Ben all snickered under their breaths but she heard them. She snapped her head over at them. They all shut up quickly. "I don't really see what is so fucking funny here, boys. Maybe you think it's fine to treat a co-worker like they are beneath you."

"Esme-" I started.

"We were just trying to protect you," said Emmett. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Wrong thing to say to her.

"Listen to me, Emmett McCarty," snapped Esme. "I don't need protection, especially from a sexiest, overbearing asshole like you. I know everything about Carlisle and Bella, and I do mean everything. You couldn't even begin to understand their relationship and how much they need each other. I can assure you that I trust both of them. I know that they wouldn't do anything to hurt me. The next time you choose to 'protect' me, maybe you will think about talking to me first, you stupid mother fucker."

"Good thing I asked her to tone it down before she came in," whispered Carlisle in my ear. I bit my lip to stop my chuckle. Emmett, Jasper, Garrett, and Ben were all staring at her with wide eyes. Angela came out of her room and started laughing.

"I don't know who you are but that was awesome," chuckled Angela. Esme smiled at her.

"I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife," said Esme.

"I'm Angela. It's nice to see that someone can put them in their place," said Angela.

"Ang-" started Ben.

"No, Ben," said Angela. "You weren't like this back in high school. When did you turn into such a pig?"

"I'm not-"

"What do you call it?" snapped Angela. "Last night, I stood here and listened to all of you call her a whore because of a relationship they used to have. Does it make me a whore, Ben, since you and I used to fuck?"

"No, Angela, that's not what we meant," said Ben. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"I know exactly what you meant, Ben," I said as I went over to my desk and grabbed my gun and keys. I turned back to the boys. "See, I may be new to the FBI but I've been around cops since the day I was born. I know that none of you see me as anything more than a pair of tits and a nice ass. Quite frankly, I'm tired of it all. Nothing I say is going to change how you all look at me."

"Bella-" started Ben but I turned to Carlisle and Esme.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Sure," they said.

Esme turned and glared at Edward before we went over to the elevator. We loaded into Carlisle's car and headed over to a small diner just a few blocks away. We went in and took a booth in the back. Our waitress came over and took our order. As son as she was gone, Esme turned back to me.

"So tell me about the nightmares."

"They're all different," I said softly. "Sometimes I'm back in that room with him on top of me but I can't stop him this time. Then other times, I'm running from him but he catches me. I'm scared, Esme."

"I know you, Bell," she said softly. She reached out and grabbed my hand. "Have you tried to write about them? It helped you last time."

"I haven't had much time," I said softly.

"I want you to start your journal again, ok?" said Esme. I nodded my head softly. "Carlisle told me you are moving out of Rose and Alice's."

"I can't trust them anymore," I said as a tear fell down my face. "They are supposed to be my sisters, Esme. They aren't supposed to hurt me like this. How can I ever trust them again?"

"I don't know, Bella," said Esme. "Maybe you should tell them about James."

"I can't do that," I said softly. "They wouldn't understand."

"They might," said Esme.

"I just want sister's back," I sobbed softly. I laid my head in my arms on the table. "We used to be so close. They used to protect me but now all they do is talk about me."

"It's ok," said Esme.

She slid into the booth next me and wrapped her arms around me. I laid my head on her shoulder and let it all out. She just held me as I cried. The waitress brought our food and we managed to eat before it got cold. We paid our bill and loaded back into the car. We drove back to the office and climbed out of the car. I hugged Esme.

"Thanks for listening," I whispered.

"You're welcome," she said. "Why don't we meet for lunch in a few days?"

"Sounds good," I said softly. I pulled away from her and looked over at Carlisle. "I'm going to work out for awhile."

"Ok," he said.

I turned and made my way into the dressing room and changed. I went back out to the gym and got my hands taped and gloved. I went over to the bags and started pummeling it. I needed to get some of this out before I lose control again. This was the only way I knew how. I had been at it for about half an hour when Edward came in and held the bag for me. He was in his workout cloths. I kicked it hard once more, pushing him back.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Carlisle told me you were down here," said Edward. "I wanted to apologize again."

"Why, Edward?" I asked as I ripped the gloves off. "Why do you even care? You've made your opinion of me clear."

"Look, I'm trying to make this right," said Edward.

"Why?" I snapped. "Because Carlisle told you were stuck with me."

"No, because I don't want to lose you as my partner," snapped Edward.

"You have made it clear that you don't want me as your partner," I snapped. I turned to go to the dressing room when Edward grabbed my arm. I turned and punched him. He stumbled back a few feet. "Don't put your hands on me."

"I'm trying to make amends," he snapped.

"Why?" I asked. "Give me one good reason why I should care that you are trying to make amends."

"Fuck, you can be such a bitch sometimes," he snapped.

"Yeah, well, being a bitch got me through a lot," I sneered at him. I turned but he grabbed my arm around. "Do you want me to punch you again?"

"No," he said, letting go of my arm. "I don't know what to do to make it better between us,."

"Just tell me why," I said as I turned back to him.

"I want to be your partner," said Edward, looking me in the eye. "I don't care that you are woman. I don't care that you are a rookie. You're a good cop. That's what matters to me."

"I don't know how to trust you," I said. "Because you act different when it's just you and me. When we get around them, you act like a real ass."

"Come with me," he said.

Edward grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door to the gym. I pulled my arm out of his grip but followed him. We made our way to the elevator and up to our floor. We stepped off and we made our way over to where everyone was working.

"Wait here," he said to me.

He turned and went over to Carlisle's office. He can Carlisle came over to us. Carlisle cocked an eyebrow at me but I just shook my head.

"Everyone listen up," said Edward. Everyone looked up at us. "I want it understood that Bella is my partner because she is a good cop. I'm proud to be her partner. If you don't like it, then you all can go straight to hell."

I just stared at him with my mouth hanging wide open. I looked over at Carlisle and saw him staring at Edward with his mouth wide open. Edward looked over at me.

"Believe me now?" he asked. I felt my face turn bright red as everyone looked from me to Edward.

"I believe that you just embarrassed the shit out of me," I snapped. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"But you said…." said Edward.

"Yeah, I know what I said. Here's a fucking clue. All you had to do was stop acting like an asshole. Now you've just made me look like a whiny bitch," I snapped.

I turned and made my way over to the stairs and ran back down to the gym. I went into the dressing room and showered and changed into my work clothes. I made my way back up to the office and gathered my files and settled into an interrogation room to work, ignoring the looks from everyone.

It was just after seven when I finally made my way back to the apartment. I went inside and found Rose, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper sitting in the living room. Rose and Alice looked like they had been crying.

"Hey, Bella," said Alice. I hung up my jacket and headed to my room.

"Bella, please talk to us," said Rose. I turned and looked at her.

"Rosie, I can't," I said. "I want to but…I can't."

I turned and made my way into my room and shut the door behind me. I slid down to the floor and let my tears fall. I hated hurting my sisters but they had done nothing but hurt me since I moved back to Washington. I got up and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I grabbed a blank note book and settled on my bed and began writing out all my feelings. Maybe it would help. I hoped so at least.


	9. Chapter 9

I slipped out of bed Saturday morning and pulled on my running clothes. I grabbed my iPod and headed out for a nice long run. I had been avoiding Alice and Rose since I got home from work on Thursday night. They hadn't made it easy either. I knew they felt bad about everything but you know, feeling bad didn't really help the shit I was dealing with at work.

Ok, sure Edward treated me nice yesterday but Emmett, Jasper, Garrett and Ben were all still being major assholes. They weren't real obvious but they made their point clear. All I was to them was a distraction. Story of my career. I finished running and stopped in front of a Starbucks a few blocks from the apartment. I got my coffee and settled at a table in the back and started looking for an apartment. There weren't very many apartments available in the area's close to the office. At least not decent ones.

"Hey, Bella," said Edward. I looked up and saw him standing in front of my table. He had a big smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm playing tennis. I'm totally kicking ass," I said as I stood up.

"Suppose that was a stupid question," chuckled Edward as he followed me out.

"Yes, it was," I said. I stopped and looked at him. "You live in this neighborhood?"

"No, I was headed to a music store up the street but I needed a cup of coffee and this is the best Starbucks in the city," explained Edward. "How about you?"

"I live in an apartment with Alice and Rose about three blocks up. For now anyway," I said.

"You're moving out?" he asked.

"Yep," I said as I turned and started walking toward the apartment.

"Why?" he asked as he fell into step with me.

"I can't trust them anymore," I said sadly. "They broke the sister code."

"Oh," said Edward. "That sucks."

"Yeah," I said. I stopped and looked over at him. "So show me this music store."

"Ok," said Edward.

Edward led me back the other way to the smallest store I have ever been in. He spent the next two hours showing me every CD, vinyl record, and cassette tape the store had. Watching Edward talk about music was interesting. His face lit up with each CD or record. You could tell he had a love for music. He had thing for eighties rock music. We walked out of the music store and he turned to me.

"So how big of a dork do you think I am now?" he asked.

"Huge," I chuckled. "I don't know how I can even stand looking at you anymore."

"I'm hurt, Bella," he chuckled softly.

"I think you'll survive." I said.

"Maybe," he sighed dramatically.

"Wow, you can tell you have an older sister," I chuckled.

"How?" he asked.

"You are a drama queen," I laughed. "I would know because I too am a drama queen."

"Yes, we are, aren't we?" chuckled Edward with a big smile. "Can I buy you lunch?"

"I should get back to the apartment," I said softly.

"Come on," begged Edward. "Just a hamburger. I know the best hamburger stand in the city."

"Fine," I said. "But it had better be a good one."

"I promise," chuckled Edward.

Edward led me up another block to this little hamburger stand across the street from the park. We ordered our food. Edward cocked an eyebrow when I ordered a double with everything. We went over to the park and walked while we ate.

"So what's New York like?" asked Edward.

"Depends," I chuckled. "If you ask me as a cop, I would have to tell you that New York sucks. The crime rate is ridiculous. People do the dumbest shit. If you ask me a just a person, I would have to tell you that New York is the best city on the planet. It's the most alive city."

"Why did you choose to move here?"

"Because of Carlisle and Esme," I admitted. Edward cocked an eyebrow. "I hadn't really seen them much in the last couple years. When Carlisle brought Esme and Izzy out to New York to tempt me with the job offer, he and I went to dinner with Jacob. He and Jacob ended up fighting at the table. Jacob made a comment about me being his. I quickly rebuffed that and took the job. Besides, this is what I've always wanted to do. I just didn't really want to come back to Seattle to do it."

"Jacob sounds like an ass," said Edward as we finished eating.

"He is," I said.

Edward didn't say anything else as he walked me back to my apartment. I thanked him for educating me on music before I made my way upstairs. It had been nice to get to know a different side of Edward. He was different when we weren't working. I slowly made my way up the stairs. I walked into the apartment and found Alice and Rose sitting on the couch.

"Hey, Bella," said Alice. "Where have you have you been?"

"Out," I said as I slipped my shoes off.

"Bella, can we please talk?" asked Rose.

"There's nothing to talk about," I said.

"Please, just listen to us?" she asked. I sighed and went over and sat down.

"Fine. Talk," I said.

"Look, we didn't mean to hurt your career," said Rose. "We were wrong for saying anything to Emmett and Jasper. I wish we could take it all back but we can't."

"It's goes beyong my career," I said. "You broke the sister code."

"We know," said Alice. "We are so sorry."

"Just tell me why," I said. "Why would you tell them anything about my private life?"

"They were talking about you and Carlisle fighting. It just slipped out," said Alice.

"I don't know how to trust either of you again," I said. "I thought this would be our chance to reconnect but it's just like it always was. Neither of you respect me or care about how I feel. I can't deal with your guilt right now."

"You know it wasn't easy for us either," cried Rose. I could feel the tears building in my eyes. "You were always the smart one."

"You made sure I knew that it pissed you off," I said as I stood up. "Do you think it was easy being so much smarter than everyone? I was ten years old when I started high school, Rose. I lived through the bullies and the teasing. Did you or Alice ever help me?"

"We lived through it too," said Rose as she stood up "Fuck, Bella, do you think you were the only one who suffered?"

"Yeah, I do," I snapped. "I was the one the boys made fun of because I had no tits. I was the ones the girls laughed at because I had to take gym with them. I had nobody to tell me it would be ok because my sisters hated me."

"We didn't hate you, Bella," said Alice as she stood up. "We were just trying to deal with our own bullies."

"But I needed my big sisters to tell me it was ok to be smart. You didn't do that," I cried. "Why do you think I left Washington in the first place?"

"You left because of us?" cried Rose.

"Yes," I said. "I heard you, Rose."

"What? When?" asked Rose.

"The night before I graduated," I snapped. "You were sitting on the porch with Mark Howard. I heard you tell him that you were glad I was graduating and leaving Forks so people would stop picking on you. You made it clear, Rose, that you didn't want me here."

"Bella, I'm sorry," she said. "I was just upset that night. I didn't mean it. I never wanted you to leave. I still don't."

"I don't either, Bella," said Alice. "Please don't move out."

"I can't trust you not to tell Emmett or Jasper anything else about me," I said. "You just don't get that."

"We do get that," said Alice. "We….we won't see them anymore."

"Yeah, we will break up with them," said Rose. "Just please don't leave."

"I thought you liked them?" I asked.

"We do but we love you, Bella," cried Alice. "They could never take the place of our sister. Besides, if they can't treat you with respect then we don't want to see them anymore."

"I can't let you do that," I said softly. I wiped the tears off my face. "I won't be responsible for breaking your hearts. Besides, I don't want their respect just so they can have you. I want it because I've earned it."

"But-"

"No," I said. "I'm sorry. I'll stay until I can find an apartment but I think it would be better for all of us if I moved out."

I turned and made my way to my room. I shut the door behind me and I went into the bathroom and took a long bath. I know they meant well but I wasn't going to let them use me as their excuse for letting Emmett and Jasper go. It was clear to me that they all really cared for each other and I wouldn't let them blame me for ruining this part of their lives as they did when we were little.

I climbed out of the tub and got dressed. I grabbed my stuff and walked out of my room. Alice and Rose were still sitting on the couch. Their faces were red and tear stained. I just walked past them and headed out to my car. I drove down to the office and went up to work on the case. Right now the only thing I could focus on was getting James Sanders before he could get to me. Because I knew that he wouldn't stop until he killed me.


	10. Chapter 10

I walked into the office Monday morning completely exhausted. I still wasn't sleeping very well. I either had nightmares about James Sanders or nightmares about hurting my sisters. As mad as I was at them, and I was still plenty mad, it hurt to even think I was hurting them. I locked up my gun and went down to the break room to start the coffee since I was the first one here. I sat down at the table and laid my head on my arms as I waited for the coffee to brew.

"Hey," said Edward. I looked up and saw him standing in the doorway. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," I said. I stood up and poured myself a cup of coffee. "You want one?"

"Sure," he said. I poured him a cup and handed it to him. "So what did you do yesterday?"

"Nothing," I said. "Worked."

"Gee, that sounds so fun," chuckled Edward as we went over and sat down at our desks.

"That's me," I chuckled softly as everyone came in. "The life of the party."

"Hey, Edward," said Emmett, completely ignoring me.

"Emmett," said Edward. Carlisle came over to me and Edward.

"We got a hit on James Sanders' apartment," he said. "I want you two, Emmett, and Jasper to process the scene. Be thorough."

"Yes, sir," I said as I stood up.

I grabbed my gun and followed them over to the elevator. We stopped in the lab and grabbed a couple kits. I was grateful not to see Lauren. I wasn't sure I could handle that bitch this morning. I followed Edward out to his car and we headed over to James' apartment. I was surprised that he would live in such a ratty apartment building. We made our way up to the his apartment on the fifth floor. The landlord let us in and I shut the door behind me.

Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all went to start searching but I stood back and just looked around. This place was a dump. There was hardly any furniture. Just a ratty couch and a coffee table. I made my way into the kitchen. The cabinets were empty and they didn't show any signs that he had kept dishes in them. The fridge was also empty. It smelt of bleach. I went into the bedroom. There was a twin sized bed pushed against the wall but no dresser. There were dozens of pictures up on the wall of different girls.

"His future targets?" asked Edward.

"Maybe," I said. "This isn't his real apartment. This is for show."

"What makes you think so?" asked Jasper.

"It doesn't look lived in," I said as I turned to him and Emmett. "Look at the carpet. It looks brand new. The cabinets in the kitchen are clean. No dust or anything. Meager furnishings. He has money so why would he live here?"

"Maybe he doesn't like to be flashy," pointed out Emmett.

"Perhaps," I said. "But he did drive a '53 Porsche to the first crime scene. Not the best way to stay on the down low."

"Why would he rent this dump then?" asked Jasper.

"To throw us off," said Edward. He motioned to the wall of girls. "He knows we are going to spend our time trying to track down each one of these girls."

"Edward's right," I said. "He's playing us."

"Why?" asked Emmett. "Why do you think he is playing us?"

"Because that's what he does," I said. "He's sick and twisted. He gets off on it."

"Guess you would know about that," muttered Emmett under his breath.

I rolled my eyes and started working the crime scene. We spent nearly three hours scouring the apartment for anything but we came up with nothing. Just like I knew we would. We bagged all the pictures and headed back to the office. Emmett and Jasper went on up while Edward and I took the photos to the lab. Maybe we would get lucky. Of course, Lauren was there.

"Oh, hey, Eddie," purred Lauren. Or at least I think she was purring. It sounded like grunting to me. "Want to get a drink after work?"

"Nope," said Edward. He handed her the photos. "We need these processed ASAP."

"Oh, ok," she said. She looked over at me and smirked. "So, Bella, how's Carlisle been treating you?"

"Fine," I said. "How's your right hand been treating you?"

"Stupid bitch," she muttered as Edward chuckled.

"Just get it processed," I said.

Edward and I headed back up to the office. We updated Carlisle on everything at the apartment. He agreed with me and Edward that it was most likely not James' actual place of residence. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find as much information on James Sanders as I could but there was nothing.

"So what do we know about James Sanders?" I asked. Everyone looked up at me.

"Well, we know he was a marine," said Carlisle.

"We know that he is suspected for the rapes of several women in New York," said Edward.

"Ok, but what do know about him?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Jasper.

"Where was he born?" I asked. "Where did live before he joined the Marines?"

"He's from Phoenix," said Ben. "He and his parents, Victoria and Laurent Sanders, moved there when he was ten but we have no records from before then."

"So where was he for the first ten years of his life?" I asked.

"That's what we need to figure out," said Carlisle before he went back to his office.

"So you find an apartment yet?" asked Edward.

"Not yet," I said.

"You know, Bella, Rose is really upset with you moving out," said Emmett. I turned and looked at him. "Seems like you don't care about her feelings."

"You wouldn't know shit about mine and Rose's relationship," I said.

"We know that both Rose and Alice are upset and it's all your fault," snapped Jasper.

"It's not my fault I can't trust them. It's really not any of your fucking business, anyway," I snapped as I stood up.

"It is when they are upset," snapped Emmett.

"No, it's really not," said Edward. They both snapped their heads over to him. "Bella's relationship with her sisters is her business. It's for the three of them to work out. You two have been nothing but asses to Bella since she got here. It's time to back off."

"What?" snapped Emmett. "After what she did to Esme?"

"She hasn't done anything to Esme," growled Edward as he stood up. "Esme made that fucking clear."

"Don't bother, Edward," I said gathering up my files. "They don't give a shit."

"You got that right," muttered Jasper.

I just rolled my eyes and went down to an interrogation room to work but I couldn't focus on my work. All I could think about was Edward defending me. He had stood up for me in front of the others. Not that I needed him to but it was still a nice gesture anyway. I eventually gave up trying to work. I packed up all my files and locked them back in my desk. I made my way over to Carlisle's office. He was sitting behind his desk working on some paperwork.

"You working hard?" I asked. He snorted and looked up.

"Never," he chuckled. I went over and sat down. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing really," I said. "Fixing to head out."

"You found an apartment yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," I said softly. "Car, you doing ok? Is this bringing back…"

"I'm doing ok," said Carlisle. "A few nightmares but Esme helps me talk through them."

"That's good," I whispered. I stood up. "Tell her and Izzy I love them."

"I will," he said. "Hang in there, Bella. It'll get better."

"Oh, yeah, because they are all bound to understand, right?" I said sarcastically.

"No, but they will get over it," chuckled Carlisle.

"Keep telling yourself that," I chuckled as I walked out of this office.

I headed down to the elevator. I stepped off in the lobby. Edward was leaning against the wall. He looked up and smiled. I felt a strange tingle radiate through my body.

"You heading out?" he asked as he started walking with me.

"Yeah, I guess I'm going back to the apartment and hide out in my room," I said.

"Want to grab some dinner?" he asked. I stopped and looked over at him. "Come on, we both have to eat."

"Ok," I said. "But I'm buying."

"Fine," grumbled Edward.

I led him over to my car. We climbed in and headed over to a Chinese restaurant about five blocks away. We headed inside and found a booth in the back. Our waitress came over and took our order.

"Are you from Seattle?" I asked.

"Yep, born and raised," said Edward.

"Are you and Esme close?" I asked.

"Not as close as we used to be. She's two years older than me. When we were little she was best friend but when I went to the academy, she and I drifted apart. She didn't want me to become a cop," said Edward.

"Carlisle's a cop," I chuckled.

"I know. Kind of ironic, isn't it?" chuckled Edward. "She worked for the police department at the time as a psychologist. After hearing so many stories of cops going crazy or getting hurt, she tried to fight me when I joined the academy but I love the job. Plus my dad's a retired cop. When I got offered a spot with Carlisle's team, it just felt right."

"How old are you ?" I asked.

"I'm 29," chuckled Edward.

"Where did you go to school?" I asked.

"Here at UW. I graduated from with my undergrad degree and went straight to the academy. I graduated from the academy at 23. Worked as a beat cop for a couple years before I made detective on major case. Carlisle offered me a job with his team two years ago," explained Edward. "Are you close to your family?"

"Not really. When we were little, Alice, Rose and I were best friends. Rose is three years older and Alice is two years but when I turned seven, I went from the second grade to the sixth grade. I was suddenly in the year above Rose. She hated me for it," I said.

"Why?" asked Edward.

"I was too smart. The kids in my school made fun of me for being smarter than my teachers. They made fun of Alice and Rose because I was smarter than them. When I graduated high school, Charlie and Renee, my parents, tried to talk me out of going to NYU but I needed to get away from here. I was still the freaky little genius girl but it wasn't as bad. I worked my ass off and graduated with my graduate degrees in four years. I went to the academy as soon as I could. Charlie was less than thrilled by my decision to be a cop. Which is ironic because he is the chief of police in Forks. He told me I should be a doctor but I love the job. Renee freaked out on me. She told me I was going to get myself killed. Alice and Rose were bothered by the fact that I don't have a love for fashion like them. I graduated from the academy and got a spot on special victims. I spent seven years with them until Carlisle offered me the job here," I explained.

"That must have been hard," said Edward.

"It was but I dealt with it," I said.

Our waitress brought our food out and we ate quickly. I paid the bill, even though he whined and bitched about it. I drove him back to his car before I made my way back to the apartment. Rose and Alice were in the living room when I came in.

"How was your day?" asked Alice.

"Fine," I said.

"Have you eaten dinner?" asked Rose. "We have some leftovers."

"I ate already," I said softly. "How were your days?"

"It was ok," said Alice. "I'm dealing with a new designer who is trying to piss me off."

"You want me to kick her ass?" I chuckled softly. Alice and Rose chuckled.

"No, I think I can take her," chuckled Alice.

"I'll help," chuckled Rose. I sat down on the couch next to them.

"Look, I don't want this to come between us," I said softly. "I'm just really hurt that you would talk about me like that."

"We know," whispered Alice. "I wish we could change what we did but we can't. We just want a chance to make it better."

"I know you do," I said softly. "But it's going to take some time. I still think I need to find my own place. I'm used to living on my own anyway."

"Ok," said Rose. "Just don't shut us out again, ok?"

"Ok," I whispered. "I did miss you while in New York."

"We missed you too," cried Alice. She threw herself in my arms. Rose threw her arms around the two of us.

"So much," cried Rose.

We cried together for a few minutes before we pulled away. I went into my room and changed into my pajamas. I went back out to the living room and watched a movie with Rose and Alice. Maybe I would get my sisters back.


	11. Chapter 11

"So you remember David Lewis?" I asked as I strode into Carlisle's office on Wednesday morning and sat down.

"Yes, the asshole rookie who nearly got his partner shot during the Henderson case because he was too busy ogling the hooker we were busting," chuckled Carlisle. "What about him?"

"Well, you see after you left for the big times, he transferred to a precinct in Phoenix, Arizona," I said. "I called him yesterday to see what he could find on James Sanders for me. He just called me back."

"And?" asked Carlisle.

"Well, it turns out that his father, Laurent, is not his father but his scum of the earth, abusive, dirt bag step father who adopted him six months after he and his mom moved to Phoenix. It would appear that Laurent is a truly evil son of a bitch who beat Victoria to death in front of James when he was sixteen," I said. "He's serving life right now."

"That's interesting," said Carlisle. "You're not going."

"Yes, I am," I said.

"No, you're not," said Carlisle. "I'll send Emmett and Jasper."

"No," I said as I stood up. "My discovery. Edward and I are going and that's final."

"Did I ever tell you that you are a stubborn little bitch?" grumbled Carlisle.

"Everyday that we were together, Honey," I chuckled. "Did I ever tell you that you are pain in my ass?"

"Everyday that we were together, Honey," he smirked, throwing my words back at me. "Fine, you and Edward can go but be careful. This ass sounds like a real piece of work."

"I'm always careful," I chuckled as I walked out of his office. I went over to my desk and pulled out my gun. "Let's go, Edward. We are off to Phoenix."

"Why?" he asked as he stood up.

"Because we are going to go talk to Laurent Sanders and ask him why he thought that beating James' mother to death in front of him when he was sixteen was a good idea and ask him if he has any idea why he might have snapped and started raping women," I said. Edward just stared at me. "I'm been doing some digging."

"Apparently," chuckled Edward. I went over to Emmett and Jasper. They both looked up at me and cocked an eyebrow.

"So, look, I thinks it's pretty clear that we don't like each other but I can tell you care about my sisters and they are important to me. Edward and I are leaving town to run down a lead and I need you both to make sure Rose and Alice are safe. I know that you don't trust me. I know that you both think I'm nothing but a whore but I need to know that they are safe while I'm gone. I can't…" I trailed off. "Please just keep them safe for me."

"Bella, we don't think you are a whore," said Jasper. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't in the mood to get back into this.

"We don't," said Emmett. "But this isn't the time or place to get into it so we promise to make sure Rose and Alice are safe."

"Thanks," I said.

I turned and headed over to the elevator with Edward. We made our way through the lobby and out to his car. He drove to my apartment first. I quickly threw a bag together and called Rose and Alice to let them know I would be out of town tonight. I went back down to the car. Edward drove to a really nice house on the lake. I waited in the car while he ran in and packed a bag. He came out and we drove to the airport and boarded the FBI plane to Phoenix.

We landed in Phoenix about four hours later. We headed to the hotel and got us a couple rooms. I made the call to David Lewis. He agreed to meet us at the Phoenix FBI office in a couple hours. Edward and I hung out in my room while I briefed him on everything I had found out about Laurent Sanders.

Just before three in the afternoon, Edward and I made our way down to the Phoenix bureau of the FBI. We were lead down to a small conference room to wait for David Lewis. He came in about ten minutes after we arrive. He had gained some weight but he still looked pretty much the same.

"Well, look who made it to the big times," he chuckled. I stood up and hugged him. "You look good, Capt."

"Thanks, rookie," I said. "You look like shit."

"Good to see you're still feisty," he snickered. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"This is my partner, Edward Mason," I said. "Edward, this is David Lewis."

"Nice to meet you," said David as he shook Edward's hand.

"You too," said Edward. We sat down.

"So what can you tell us about Laurent Sanders?" I asked.

"He was born and raised here in Phoenix. His parents were abusive, child raping bastards who abused him until he started fighting back at the age of fifteen. He bounced from one foster home to another until he aged out of the system. He held a handful of minimum wage jobs for the next handful of years. He started working for Blake Construction when he was twenty four. He met Victoria Jones when he was twenty nine. Married her six months later and adopted James officially. Got hurt on the job three years later when one of the other guys accidentally pushed him off the second story of a house they were building. He was impaled by a piece of rebar that that sticking up out of the ground. They managed to save his life but he couldn't work anymore. He turned to alcohol and prescription pain pills to help with his depression. He started beating Victoria when James was fourteen. When James was sixteen, he witnessed Laurent beat Victoria to death. He swore that Laurent never touched him but they didn't believe him. He testified against Laurent and went into the system. He never caused any trouble at all. He enlisted in the Marines when he was eighteen and they haven't heard from him since," said David.

"Where did James and Victoria live before they moved to Phoenix?" Edward asked.

"No clue," said David. "Someone went through a hell of lot of trouble to keep them hidden because there are no breadcrumbs leading anywhere."

"There are always breadcrumbs," I said. "We're just not looking in the right place."

"Suppose you're right," said David. "So James is your serial killer."

"Yep," I said. "When can you get us into see Laurent?"

"Tomorrow morning," said David.

"Good," I said standing up. "How's Shannon?"

"She's nearly ready to pop," he said. "Four more weeks."

"Tell her I said hi, ok?" I said.

"I will, Capt," he said. "It was nice to see you again."

"You too, rookie," I smirked. He rolled his eyes.

"You are quite the ball buster, Capt," smirked David.

"Someone has to be," I chuckled. "Take care of yourself and your beautiful wife or I will kick your ass, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled. "You be careful with Laurent. He's crazy."

"I will be," I said.

Edward and I headed back to the hotel and called Carlisle and filled him in on what we had learned. He said he would see what he could find out about James and Victoria's sudden new start in life. There had to be clues somewhere that led to his first ten years of his life. We just weren't looking at the right place.

Edward and I decided to head down to a steak house for dinner. We walked in and the hostess ogled Edward. I felt rage fill my body and I didn't understand why. Edward cleared his throat and rolled his eyes as she led us to a booth in the back. Our waiter came over and stared at my tits until I cleared my throat.

"Um, sorry, what can I get you to drink?" he asked as he looked back at my tits.

"After you get done staring at my girls, you can bring me a coke," I snapped. He snapped his eyes up to my face.

"Sorry," he muttered. He looked over at Edward, who looked like he was about ready to beat the shit out of the kid. "For you, sir?"

"I'll take a coke also," muttered Edward through clenched teeth. Our waiter just nodded his head and left. I cocked my eyebrow at Edward. "What?"

"You looked like you were ready to pounce on that kid like he was a mountain lion," I chuckled. Edward rolled his eyes.

"He shouldn't be staring at you like you are a piece of meat," he grumbled. I busted out laughing. "Why is that funny?"

"Are you serious?" I asked. He nodded his head. "Welcome to the world of women, Edward. The first thing any straight man looks at are either our tits or ass. Then, maybe, they look at our faces. If they like those, they might talk to us but that's dangerous because they might run into someone like Lauren Mallory and they will lose brain cells just from talking to her, or kissing her."

"So you think all men are pigs," he said.

"Pretty much," I said. "Even gay men are the same way, except they check out a mans cock instead."

"Is that so," chuckled Edward as our waiter dropped off our drinks.

"Are you ready to order?" he asked looking at me. I saw his eyes travel down to my tits before they snapped back up to my eyes.

"I'll take the eight ounce t-bone, medium rare, with the loaded baked potato. Tossed salad with ranch," I said.

"For you, sir," said the waiter as he turned to Edward.

"The same," smirked Edward.

"I'll have those right out," mumbled our waiter before he left.

"So women don't ogle men the same way men ogle women?" asked Edward.

"Of course we do," I snickered. "We are just more subtle about it. Well, most of us are, anyway."

"Explain," said Edward.

"Ok," I said. "Typically when a woman sees a man she is interested she looks at two things, his face and his hands."

"I get his face but why his hands?" asked Edward. I chuckled softly.

"Because we want to know that the man we take home with us, knows how to use those hands. You can tell a lot by a man's hands," I said with a smile.

"So what do my hands tell you?" asked Edward as he held out his hand to me. I reached out and took his hands. I felt a tingle shoot through me.

"Um, well, I would say that you know how to use your hands," I said softly as I looked up into his eyes. "They are strong but soft so I would guess you don't do a lot of manual work with them."

"I guess I don't," he murmured as he stared into my eyes.

"Here's your salads," said our waiter. I leaned back in my seat and took a deep breath as he set our salads in front of us.

"Thanks," I said.

"Your steaks should be out soon," he said before he left.

I muttered my thanks as he left. Edward and I didn't say anything else as we ate our salads. Our waiter, who finally told us his name was Derek, brought out our steaks. We made small talk while we ate but you could feel something there. I just wasn't sure what it was. Once we were done, we paid our bill and left Derek's number, that he thought I might like, and headed back to the hotel. I bid Edward good night and went into my room. I changed into my shorts and t-shirt and climbed into bed. I tossed and turned for a few hours before I finally passed out.

"_Oh, God," I moaned as he ran his hands down my back and cupped my ass, gently lifting me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pressed myself against him. "I need you now."_

"_So fucking beautiful," he murmured softly against my neck_

"_Fuck, take me," I moaned as I desperately searched for the friction I so badly needed. "Please, Edward, take me now."_

"_FUCK," he growled as he slammed his cock into me._

"_OH GOD!" I screamed. He pulled back and slammed into me harder. "Fuck, don't ever stop. Please, don't ever stop."_

"_I'm never going to stop," he growled. "You're so fucking sexy."_

"_More," I cried out. "I need more."_

_Edward slammed me against the wall as he continued to thrust his cock into me over and over. I could feel all of him but I needed more. I wanted more. I wanted all of him. His heart, his soul, and his body. _

"_FUCK," I screamed as I came hard. "I love you."_

I snapped my eyes open as I sat up. My body was covered in sweat and I was panting slightly. _What the fuck had just happened? _I asked myself as I recounted the dream that had been so real. Too real. _Oh holy fuck, _I thought, _I've fallen in love with Edward. _This was the last thing I needed to happen to me right now.


	12. Chapter 12

I can do this. I can do this. I kept chanting that over and over in my head as I got up the next morning. I was going to have to do something. I wasn't sure what but I could not love him. It wasn't possible. I barely even liked him. Although, he is fucking sexy. Stop it! I would not allow myself to love him.

I made my way out the hotel room and down to the car. I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes and tossed my bag in the trunk before I climbed into the front seat, completely ignoring Edward. He placed his own bag in the trunk and shut it. He climbed into the drivers seat and started the car.

"You ok?" he asked as he pulled the car out of the parking lot.

"I'm fine," I said, shortly.

"Did you have trouble sleeping last night?" he asked.

"No, why?" I asked quickly. Did he hear me? Oh, please tell me he didn't hear me.

"You just seem off today," he said.

"I'm fine," I muttered.

We didn't speak again as we drove the twenty miles to the federal prison that was the home of Laurent Sanders. I couldn't help but peek at Edward through the side of my eyes as he drove. I knew he was handsome. I mean, I'm not fucking blind. But damn, he was so fucking handsome. I shook my head. I couldn't think of him like that. It's not like he would want me like that anyway.

Edward parked the car in the visitors parking lot outside of the prison. We climbed out and made our way inside. After we signed in and handed our weapons over, we were led down to a private room. We only had to wait about ten minutes before the guards brought Laurent Sanders in.

He was a tall but skinny man with dark brown hair and dark creepy eyes. The guards handcuffed him to the table and left us alone. Laurent gave me the once over before he smirked.

"What's a fine lady like you doing as a cop?" he asked.

"Putting pieces of shit like you behind bars," I said, dryly. The smirk left his face. "What's the matter Laurent? Don't like it when I call you what you are?"

"I really don't give shit," he said, offhandedly. "It's not like it's not true."

"So tell us about James and Victoria," said Edward.

"What do you want to know about that bitch and her crazy kid?" he asked.

"Everything," I said. "How'd you meet her?"

"I met Victoria Jones at a local bar called The Loading Zone. It was a dive bar located downtown where the drinks are cheap and watered down. Victoria was witnessing and I fell for her hard."

"So you started seeing her?" I asked.

"More like fucking her," said Laurent. "Six months later, the bitch told me she was pregnant. So I married her. She lost the baby a couple months later but I vowed to stick it out with her."

"When did you start beating her?" asked Edward.

"After the accident at the site," said Laurent. "Not that she didn't deserve it before then. She was a crazy bitch. She would tear through the house ranting and raving about some old boyfriend she had that left her with nothing. She used to blame the boy for it all."

"Did she abuse James?" I asked. Laurent shifted in his seat.

"No," he muttered.

"Did you?" I ask. His eyes snapped up to mine and I saw everything I needed to.

"No," he muttered, harshly. I smirked as I leaned forward and placed my elbows on the table.

"You're a liar," I said.

"I never touched that boy," he growled but his eyes betrayed him. I could see the panic in his eyes.

"I bet you loved getting your hands on him," I said. "After what your parents did to you, could you just not resist that little boy?"

"I never…" he trailed off.

"Oh, yes, you did," I said. "Did you just touch him? Or did you make him touch you, too? Is that why you started beating her? Did she find out that you were molesting her little boy?"

"NO, I WASN"T," he bellowed.

"You can't lie to me," I snapped as I stood up. "I can see the guilt written all over you face. Did you rape him? Did she help you? Is that why he started raping all those women?"

"I…" trailed off Laurent. "I didn't mean to. I tried to resist him but he……"

"Did you rape him?" asked Edward.

"Yes," whispered Laurent.

"Did Victoria rape him?" asked Edward.

"No," he said. "She found out about me and I had to shut her up. She would have ruined everything we had. He loved me. She threatened to take him away from me. He needed me."

"He was a child," I snapped. Laurent snapped his eyes up to me.

"He loved me. He told me," snapped Laurent. "When I found them, he was a weak, scared little boy. He kept going on and on about some girl he used to know. I helped him. I saved him."

"By raping him?" I snapped. "You took his innocence away."

"He was far from innocent," scoffed Laurent. "I wasn't his first."

"Who else abused him?" asked Edward.

"His father," said Laurent. "He wouldn't tell me much. He just said that he and his mom were force to leave their home after it was found out that his father had been abusing them both."

"Where was he from?" I asked.

"He wouldn't tell," said Laurent. "He said he couldn't tell me."

"You're vile," I snapped. "Let's go, Agent Mason."

"I didn't mean to hurt him," said Laurent. "I'm sorry."

"Cause you being sorry makes it ok," I said as Edward and I walked out of the room.

Edward and I didn't speak as we made our way out to the front office. We signed out and got our guns. We made our way back out to the car. We drove straight to the airport and boarded the plane back to Seattle. Laurent's revelations had definitely made my problem with my feelings for Edward seem irrelevant compared to the ten year old boy who had been used and abuse his entire life.

"I don't understand men like that," said Edward.

"I don't either," I said.

"How did you know he had abused him?" asked Edward.

"First, it was the way he deflected blame onto Victoria. Everything was her fault. Then his body language told me everything I needed to know."

"What do you mean?" asked Edward.

"The way he shifted in his seat. The way he tensed his jaw and shifted his eyes were clear indicators that he was lying," I explained.

"Interesting," said Edward. "So do you believe the childhood abuse turned him into a rapist and killer?"

"I don't know," I said. "There are some psychoanalyst that believe that our childhoods are directly responsible for who we become as adults. For example, they might speculate that James Sanders turned into a rapist because he was raped as a child. However, there are others who believe that you are responsible for yourself. They would speculate that James made the decision to become a rapist in spite of his abuse and not because of it."

"What do you believe?" asked Edward.

"Without knowing more about him or talking with him, I couldn't guess," I said.

The plane landed in Seattle and Edward and I made our way out to his car and headed over to the office. We had called Carlisle and told him to have the team waiting for us. This wasn't the kind of information you gave over the phone. Once we got back to the office, we made our way up to our floor. Everyone was waiting for us.

"So what did we learn?" asked Carlisle.

"Laurent Sanders is one sick son of a bitch," I said, looking at Carlisle. "He admitted to sexually abusing James from the time he was ten until he killed Victoria. That's why he killed her. He claims that he and James were in love but he's crazy. He also said that James real father sexual abuse him and physically abuse him and his mom."

"So you think he's targeting women that resembled his mom?" asked Garrett.

"No," said Carlisle as he went over and put a picture of Victoria Sanders on the board. She was a vibrant red head. "All of his victims were brunettes. I don't think we've discovered what triggered him yet."

"So he was raped as a kid and now he's raping and killing women?" asked Ben. "Are they related?"

"I don't know," I said. "Something still feels off about this whole case for me. I just don't know what it is."

"We'll figure it out," said Carlisle. I could see the shadows creeping in Carlisle's eyes.

"It's not the same, Car," I whispered. He looked over at me. "It's not the same."

"You don't know that," said Carlisle as he looked down at his feet. I could feel everyone looking between us.

"Hey, look at me," I snapped. He looked up at me. "It'snot the fucking same and you know it."

"How is it not?" snapped Carlisle. He was cracking I could see it.

"Let's go," I said. "We're going now."

"Bella-"

"Now, Carlisle," I said.

"Fine," he said. I looked back at Emmett and Jasper while Carlisle went to get to his stuff.

"Are they ok?" I asked

"They're fine," said Emmett.

"Can they stay with you guys again? Or maybe you can stay with them?" I asked.

"They can stay with us," said Jasper.

"Thanks," I said. "Tell them I'll call them tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok," they muttered.

I picked up my bag and went over to the elevator where Carlisle was waiting for me. I saw Edward watching me as the doors closed. It hurt to leave him. Carlisle and I made our way out to his car and climbed in. I didn't have to tell him where to go. He knew. I called Esme and let her know where we were heading and told her not to worry. Ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of a local church. We made our way inside and down to the basement. We opened the door and stepped inside. Everyone in the room turned and looked at us.

"Can I help you?" asked a tall red headed man.

"Are we too late for the meeting?" I asked.

"No, we just got started," he said. "I'm Liam. You are?"

"I'm Bella," I said.

"I'm Carlisle," said Carlisle, shifting from one foot to the other. I reached down and grabbed his hand. "I'm an alcoholic."

"Welcome to you both," said Liam. "Please join us."

"Thank you," I said. I pulled Carlisle over to two empty seats.

"So how long has it been, Carlisle?" asked Liam.

"Um, I had a drink two weeks ago but it's been nearly six years since I lost control," said Carlisle. I gripped his hand tighter.

"What made you drink two weeks ago?" asked Liam.

"Just enjoying a beer with my co-workers," said Carlisle.

"Did they pressure you into drinking?" asked Liam.

"No," said Carlisle. "I can handle the occasional drink most of the time but…"

"But what?" asked Liam.

"I'm needing it tonight," whispered Carlisle. I gripped his hand even tighter. "I don't know what to feel. Everything's all crazy at work. There's so much tension. It's all my fault."

"No, it's not," I whispered.

"You work with him?" asked Liam.

"Yes," I said. "We've been having some issues with our co-workers and their attitudes. They blame us for things that they don't understand."

"I see," said Liam. He turned back to Carlisle. "What made tonight different?"

"I…" trailed off Carlisle. "Sometimes I feel like a monster. I don't like feeling like this. What if I hurt my family?"

"Have you ever hurt your family?" asked Liam.

"God, No," shouted Carlisle. "But I can feel it all coming back. I can't let them win again."

"It's ok, Car," I whispered as I pulled him into my arms. He laid his head on my lap and let his tears fall. Liam went to say something but I stopped him. "He just needs to listen right now."

Liam nodded his head and turned to someone else. I ran my fingers through Carlisle's hair as he let it all out. I knew this case was bringing everything back up for him. I saw the signs. I should have talked to Esme before now.

Once the meeting was over, Liam gave us his card, just in case. I thanked him and led Carlisle back out to his car. I got him into the passenger seat and climbed in behind the wheel. I drove him back to his house while he just stared out the window. I pulled the car into the garage and Esme came running out. Carlisle jumped out of the car and pulled her into his arms as I climbed out from behind the wheel.

"Thank…..you," sobbed Esme as she turned to me.

"Anytime, Honey," I whispered through my tears. "I'm just going to take the guest room, ok?"

Esme just nodded. I grabbed my bag from the back seat and made my way into the house. I went straight to the guestroom and shut the door. I went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. I stripped off my clothes and step into the water. I let the water wash away the tears for my best friend who came close to falling into the abyss he barely escaped from six years ago. I let my tears fall for Esme who saved Carlisle from shutting down through the pain again when he moved to Seattle after my attack. She saved him from monsters that haunt him still. I let my tears fall for myself who knows that no matter what I do, I will always love Edward. I am so screwed.

* * *

**First, Thank you all for the reviews. They totally make my day brighter. Second, as you can tell there is more to Carlisle's guilty feelings than just want Bella went through. It will be explained. I promise. **


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up the next morning and found a pair of Esme's jeans and a blouse sitting on the end of the bed. The woman is a saint, I swear. I climbed out of bed and quickly changed. I headed out to the kitchen. Carlisle was sitting at the table, coloring with Izzy. He looked much better this morning than he did last night. He looked up and smiled when he saw me standing in the doorway. He tapped Izzy on the shoulder. She looked up at him and he pointed to me. She looked over and I swear, I saw a little bit of Alice in her face when she squealed.

"AUNITE BELLA!" she squealed as she leapt into my arms. "I missed you soooooo much."

"I missed you too, sweetheart," I chuckled I sat down with her in my lap. "So what have you been doing?"

"Just going to school," she said. "Oh, Mommy bought me a pretty new dress and some new shoes. She bought me a new dolly and I named her Bella after you cause she's sooo pretty and you're soooooo pretty, too."

"I think you are pretty," I said as Esme came into the kitchen. She chuckled and smiled softly.

"Izzy, go get your stuff for school. We're running late," said Esme.

"Ok, Mommy," said Izzy. She climbed off my lap and ran into the other room.

"Are you two ok?" I asked.

"We're fine," said Esme. "We talked a lot last night. Thank you, Bella, for taking him to a meeting."

"Anytime," I said.

"We had better get into the office," said Carlisle. He stood up and pulled Esme into his arms and kissed her. "I love you, Esme."

"I love you, too, Car," she whispered before she kissed him again. Izzy came back into the room and grimaced.

"EEEEWWWWW," she whined. "They're kissing."

"It's so gross, isn't it?" I chuckles as I knelt down and buttoned up her coat.

"Yeah," she grumbled. She wrapped her arms around me. "I love you, Auntie Bella."

"I love you, too, Izzy," I whispered. "I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Ok," she said as she pulled away. I stood up and hugged Esme.

"I love you, Esme," I whispered.

"I love you, too, Bella," she whispered. "We're having lunch soon. Promise?"

"I promise," I said.

She just nodded and grabbed Izzy's hand and lead her out to the car after she hugged Carlisle. I grabbed my bag and followed him out to the car. We climbed in and headed to work. Carlisle and I walked into the office and everyone, except Edward, exchanged a look. I just rolled my eyes. I went over and sat down at my desk. The others went on with their work. Just before lunch Carlisle came over to me.

"Bell, can you do me a big favor?" he asked.

"Sure," I said.

"Can you pick Izzy up at school and take her to Esme's office?" he asked. "I have a meeting fixing to start and she has a patient having a meltdown."

"No problem. I'll take her to lunch," I said.

"Thanks, Bell," he said.

"You're welcome. I am her favorite aunt," I chuckled.

"You're her only aunt," chuckled Edward.

"That's why I'm her favorite," I chuckled.

"Can I join you two for lunch?" asked Edward.

"Sure," I said. Edward and I made our way down to the car and climbed in. Edward headed off toward the pre-school she goes to.

"Thanks for letting me come. I don't get to see Izzy as much as I want to," said Edward.

"It's fine," I said.

"You and Izzy are close?" asked Edward. I turned and looked at him.

"She's my goddaughter. They named her after me," I said.

"You're the Isabella," chuckled Edward. I cringed at the name. "You don't like the name?"

"No, my mother thought it sounded sweet," I grumbled. "I think it sounds ridiculous."

"I think it's a beautiful name," said Edward as we pulled up in front of the school.

We didn't say anything as we made our way into her classroom and signed her out. She came out and looked up at us and squealed as she jumped in my arms, wrapping her legs around me.

"Auntie Bella, Uncle Eddie," she squealed. I gave Edward a look when she called him Eddie. He just rolled his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Your daddy asked us to pick you up," I chuckled. Her teacher came over to us and chuckled.

"You must be the Auntie Bella that we hear about so much," she chuckled. "I'm Jane Alexander."

"Bella Swan. This her uncle, Edward Mason," I said softly.

"Izzy talks about the two of you all the time," said Jane. "She's a wonderful child."

"That she is," said Edward.

"Izzy, I will see you next week, ok?" said Jane.

"Ok, Mrs. Jane," Izzy whispered.

"Izzy, you ready for some lunch?" asked Edward as he pulled the girl from my arms.

"Can we go to McDonalds?" she asked as we walked out of her classroom.

"Ok, but don't tell your mommy," said Edward. I just chuckled.

"I won't," she promised.

We put her in the back seat and buckled her into her car seat we had gotten from Carlisle's car. Edward headed over to McDonalds. We went in and ordered our food. We took it back to our table. Izzy spent the entire time going from my lap to Edward's lap. She told us about everything she did at school that day. When she done eating we loaded her back into the car and headed off to Esme's office.

She fell asleep in the back seat on the way. Edward parked in the front and I climbed out and picked up the sleeping girl. She wrapped her legs around me and dug her head into my neck. I carried her up to Esme's office. She had me lay Izzy down on the couch in the play room she had next to her office. I laid her down and she opened her eyes just slightly.

"I love you, Auntie Bella," she whispered.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Dream good dreams," I whispered. I kissed her forehead and followed Esme and Edward out of the office.

"Thank you both for getting her from school," whispered Esme. "It's been a crazy day."

"Anytime, sis," whispered Edward.

"We've got to get back to work. I love you, Es," I whispered as I hugged Esme.

"I love you too, Bell," whispered Esme. "Edward, will I see you at Mom and Dad's Sunday?"

"I suppose so," said Edward. "Love you, sis."

"Love you, little brother," she whispered. Edward and I made our way back down to the car.

"You're really good with Izzy," said Edward.

"She makes it easy," I said as we headed to the office. "She's such a sweet girl."

"That she is but she really loves you," said Edward. "So does Esme. I get it now."

"You're the only one," I muttered as we pulled up in front of the office.

We climbed out and made our way up to the office. We walked into the office and I groaned when I saw Alice and Rose at my desk with shopping bags in their hands. This could only end badly. I went over to my desk and sat down.

"Not tonight," I said.

"Yes, tonight," said Rose.

"No," I said.

"Yes, or I am calling Renee," said Alice.

"Evil Pixie," I muttered. "Why tonight?"

"We are all going," squealed Alice. I looked around at everyone.

"No, I am not going clubbing with them," I snapped.

"What's wrong, Swan? Afraid to go without Carlisle?" snapped Emmett.

"Dude, that's enough," said Edward. I snapped my head over to him. "There is nothing going on with her and Carlisle. Stop being a dick to her."

"Are you fucking serious?" said Jasper.

"Yes, I am. She and Carlisle have made it clear for two weeks that they are just friends. Back the fuck off of her," snapped Edward.

"Emmett, I told you to leave her alone," snapped Rose. Emmett's face relaxed.

"I'm sorry, Rose," said Emmett.

"It's not me you should apologize to," said Rose.

"Yeah, Jasper," snapped Alice.

"Don't," I said to Alice and Rose. They both looked at me. "They don't give a shit about my feelings anyway."

I turned and walked out of the office. I made my way down to the elevator and went down to the gym. I changed into my workout cloths and went to the track. I stretched for a few minutes and let my tears fall as I ran. I didn't want their respect because their girls forced them. I wanted it because I have earned it. I finished my five miles and sat down on the grass and buried my head in my knees.

"I really am sorry," said Emmett. I looked up and saw him and Jasper sitting next to me. He reached over and wiped the tear off my face.

"Don't apologize because they are mad at you," I whispered.

"We're not," said Jasper. "We really are sorry for how we have been treating you."

"Why?" I asked. "You both think I am just whore who slept my way here."

"No, we don't but Bella look at it from my point of view. Carlisle brings you in to work with us on a big case. We could feel the tension between you two the day you had the argument. Then you storm off and he runs after you. You both come back and you go home with him that night. How does that look?" asked Emmett.

"I don't know maybe like my best friend was there for me when I needed to get some frustrations out when I found out the man who beat me and nearly raped me is killing women. Maybe my best friend's wife, who is also my therapist, wanted to help me deal with the fear I feel every fucking day," I whispered through my tears. "Of course, you've probably never woken up in the middle of the night with a man standing over you. Or had him hit you and kick you. Stomp on your leg, which is the most painful….Then to have to him shove his fingers in you and grind himself on you while he whispers in your ear about what a fine ass you have. How he can't wait to be inside of you. All you can think about is how the man you love warned you that he would hurt you. You didn't listen to him because you have to be tough bitch. So you fight him off. You save your life only to have your colleagues at the station stare at you for months afterwards. Only to have your best friend leave without saying goodbye. You spend months trying to make it through one night without waking up screaming from reliving every detail of that night. Then your best friend come back and says he moved on. You want to be happy for him because you can tell that he's happy. You can tell that he's found the love of his life. So you put on a brave face and let him go. You spend the next five years trying to get rid of the monster in your head. Then you meet this really nice guy from major case. He makes you feel beautiful for the first time in years. You start to think you love him. Then your best friend comes back with his perfect family and offers you your dream job. The perfect guy suddenly turns into a hateful man who is jealous of the job offer. So he decides that he should start fucking the only friend you had New York. You move across the country only to find out that he got her pregnant and he's marrying her. But you tell yourself it's ok, because it's not like you loved him anyway. You have this awesome new job, right? You start your new job only to have you partner look at you like your garbage and only to have the rest of your team follow suit. But you prove you can handle it so you , um, you thinksit going to be ok. Then you go out that night and your sisters find their soul mates and your partner is sitting there tongue fucking Lauren Mallory right in front of you. You realize that you are alone. Nobody is waiting for you at home. You go home and talk to the man who hurt you in New York so he can send you your shit. You crawl into bed and cry yourself to sleep. But it is ok because you still have the job. Then you get to work the next day and you find out that your sister told everyone about the man who hurt her. You find out that the man who attacked her is back. Then you come back from seeing him face to face for the first time in six years only to be treated like a whore by the people you are supposed to be able to trust to have your back. So you go home again cry yourself to sleep. You cry yourself to sleep every night for two weeks because you will never have the respect from everyone. They don't want to see how much it hurts every time they make a comment about you being a whore."

I got up and made my way back inside the gym leaving Emmett and Jasper sitting there. I went into the dressing room and took a quick shower. I changed back into my work cloths and made my way back up to my desk. Alice and Rose were sitting at Emmett and Jasper's desk. They both looked up at me but I just shook my head at them. I sat back down at my desk and started working on some paper work. Emmett and Jasper came back up.

"You're wrong," said Jasper. I looked back over at him. "We are wrong for how we've been treating you but you don't see what we see."

"And what's that?" I asked.

"We see strong, beautiful woman who hides from what is in front of her," said Jasper.

"I'm not hiding from anything," I said.

"Like he said, you're wrong," said Emmett.


	14. Chapter 14

"What the hell do you know about me?" I asked as I stood up. Everyone looked up at me, Emmett and Jasper. Carlisle was standing in the door way to his office with a smirk on his face. "Not a one of you, besides Edward, has even taken the time to try to get to know me. You all assumed the moment I came into this office that I was a weak female that was a danger to this team. Now you suddenly think I'm so strong?"

"It's not like you've made it easy," said Ben as Angela came out of her room. "You come off as a bit bitchy."

"Hey, that's not fair," said Rose. Everyone looked at her. "You have no idea what it's been like for her. She's been the in spot light since she was a kid. She had to learn to be a bitch because everyone tried to bring her down. You wouldn't understand that because as a male cop, you don't face the same shit she does."

"Yeah, welcome to the world of being a woman working in a so called man's world," said Alice.

"You know that's not fair," said Garrett. We all looked over at him. "You all assume that just because we are men, that we care that she's a woman cop. That's not the problem."

"Then what is the problem, Garret?" I asked.

"The problem is that you don't make it easy for us to get to know you enough to trust you," said Garrett. Emmett, Jasper, and Ben all nodded their heads in agreement.

"But see that's where it gets tricky," I said. "Because if I open up my personnel life, I'm treated like whore or have you forgotten all the looks, whispers and muttering the four of you have done over the last two weeks about me? If I don't share my life story with all of you, I'm a stuck up bitch who isn't trying to fit in with the team."

"Bella 1, everyone else 0," smirked Carlisle. We all looked over at him. "You think this is her first time dealing with this shit. From the moment she applied to the academy, she's dealt with dicks just like all of you. No one wanted to see the brilliant woman. All they saw was the kid who was kicking their asses in everything they did. They resented her for it. She spent a hell of a lot of time dealing with assholes like you in New York who thought the same thing. Now, she has to come here and deal with it all over again. Just because you all feel threatened by her, is no reason to isolate her."

Carlisle smirked as he turned and went back into his office. Edward was chuckling under his breath while the rest of the team was sitting their with their mouths hanging wide open. Alice and Rose chuckled to themselves as they came over and dragged me out of the office and down to my car. We drove back to the apartment and went inside. They dragged me into the bathroom where they fix my hair and make-up. They dragged me back into my bedroom and forced me into a ice blue silk strapless dress with a pair of blue heels.

They went into their rooms and quickly got ready. They dragged me out of the apartment and down to my car. We all climbed in and we headed off to the club. I parked in the parking lot and we made our way inside. Rose and Alice led me over to a table in the back where Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Garrett, Kate, Ben, Angela, Carlisle, and Esme are sitting. They all looked up at me and gasped.

"Damn, Bella, you look good," said Garrett. "Who knew you had all of that under your clothes."

"Garrett, must you be a pig?" said Kate, rolling her eyes before she looke back at me. "Bella, you look great."

"Fuck that, Bell. You look hot," chuckled Esme.

"Thanks, Esme and Kate. You both look pretty hot too. How did you get out without Izzy?" I asked, sitting down next to Esme.

"She's at my parent's for the weekend," said Esme. She grabbed my hand. "Let's go dance, baby."

"Ok," I chuckled.

She and I made our way out to the dance floor. She grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to her. I put my hands on her shoulders and began to move my hips with hers. She reached down and grabbed my ass softly. She just chuckled as she looked over my shoulder. I looked back to see everyone watching us with their mouths wide open. I just turned back and chuckled.

"What is with men and girl on girl?" I chuckled.

"I don't know," she chuckled as we danced. "You ok? I heard you had a long afternoon."

"I'm ok. I'm just getting tired of all the shit," I said. Esme reached down and pulled my leg up and spun me around.

"I know you are, Bell," said Esme as Carlisle came up her and grabbed her hips.

"You two ladies are teasing us all," He chuckled.

"Car, I told you can't handle us both," chuckled Esme as she turned into his arms.

"I know, Baby," he whispered before he kissed her. I just smiled and went back to the table. Edward was the only one there.

"They love each other a lot," said Edward.

"Yes, they do," I said. "It's nice to see him happy. He deserves her and she deserves him."

"That she does," murmured Edward.

"Do you want to dance?" asked a brown haired man as he came over to me.

"Sure," I said softly.

I gave Edward a small smile as I followed the man out to the dance floor. I danced with him for a couple songs. Then a blond man came over and we danced. For the next three hours I danced with different men. I had just got done dancing with a black haired man when Edward came over and wrapped his arms around me.

"Dance with me?" he whispered.

"Sure," I whispered. He moved his hands to my hips and I moved mine to his shoulders.

"You look beautiful tonight," he whispered.

"Thank you," I whispered as we moved.

He gripped my hips in his hands and pulled me close to him. I grabbed his shoulders in my hands and ran my hands down his arms. We started moving our hips together. Our eyes were locked on each others as our bodies moved against each others slowly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. He wrapped his arms around my back and pressed his face into my neck.

I felt his breath on my neck. Edward turned me around and wrapped his arm around my torso. I reached back and grabbed his hips in my hands, pressing myself against him. I felt him lean down and run his lips against my neck. I closed my eyes and moaned when I felt his lips on me. I wanted him so bad. I needed him so bad. We stayed like this as we danced for the next few songs. It felt like I couldn't get enough of him. Edward kept his lips on my neck as we danced. I wanted to pull his lips to mine but I was afraid to.

We had just gotten done dancing to another song when Edward turned me around again. He cupped my face in his hands for a moment. His eyes went down to my lips and back to my eyes. I wanted him to kiss me so much. He leaned down but I pulled away and ran off the dance floor. I went over and grabbed my purse and ran out of the club. I was just at my car when Edward grabbed me and pulled me into his arms.

He pressed his lips to mine hard. I threw my arms around his neck and plunged my tongue into his mouth. He pressed me up against my car and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around is waist and pulled him closer to me. I could feel is erection pressing into me through his pants. He pulled his lips away from mine but kept his forehead pressed against mine.

"I've wanted to do that since the moment I saw you," he whispered.

"Why didn't you?" I whispered.

"I don't know," he whispered.

"Take me to your place," I whispered. He looked into my eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

We climbed into my car. I let him drive. He drove us over to his house. He helped me out of the car. He held my hand as we made our way up the porch. He unlocked the door and I went inside. He shut the door behind us. I turned and looked at him.

"Would you like something to drink?" he whispered.

"No," I whispered. "Why did you kiss me?"

"I want you," he whispered. "I…"

"You what?" I whispered. He looked up at me and gently grabbed my face in his hands.

"I love you," he whispered. "I'm so in love you."

"I love you too," I whispered. His face lit up with his smile.

"You do?" he whispered.

"I do," I whispered.

Edward crushed his lips to mine again. He lifted me into his arms and carried me down a short hallway to his bedroom. I ripped open his shirt and threw it off of him. He pulled my dress off and moaned when he saw me braless. He bent down and sucked on my nipple as I weaved my fingers into his hair. I reached down and undid his pants. I pushed them down along with his boxers. I reached out and started stroking his very large, and very hard cock.

"Fuck," He moaned.

I fell to my knees and sucked his cock into my mouth. He inhaled sharply and weaved his hands into my hair as he guided me on his cock. I used my tongue to massage his cock as I pulled him in and out of my mouth. I could tell by his breathing that he was getting close so I increased my pace.

"Fuck, Baby, I'm going to come," he moaned as he tried to push me off.

I sucked on him harder and felt his cock twitch in my mouth as he shot his cum down my throat. I swallowed every drop. It was fucking delicious. Edward pulled me to my feet and pulled my thong off in one fast move. He laid me on the bed and kissed me hard. He slowly made his way down my neck to my breasts. He pulled my nipple into his mouth and sucked on it hard. I moaned loudly as he pinched my other nipple at the same time. He made his way down my abdomen slowly. He pressed his face into my wet pussy and started thrusting his tongue in and out of me.

"HOLY FUCK,"I screamed.

He moaned as he pushed his fingers into me hard. He pulled my clit into his mouth as he thrust his fingers in and out of me. I could feel my orgasm coming as he worked his mouth, tongue and fingers in me. I arched my back as I was hit hard.

"FUCK, YES," I moaned loudly.

Edward kissed his way back up my body and kissed me hard. I could feel his erection rubbing my pussy. He reached over and pulled a condom from his drawer and ripped it open. He rolled it on and positioned himself between my legs. He leaned down and kissed me as he pushed himself into me slowly. Once he was fully sheathed inside of me, he started thrusting in and out of me fast. He kept his green eyes locked on mine as we moved our hips together. I could feel every inch of him working his way inside of me. I could feel my orgasm coming again.

"FUCK, EDWARD." I screamed as I came again. He thrust into me a few more times before I felt him shudder as he reached his own release.

"FUCK, Bella…So fucking good." he moaned as he came.

He rolled off of me and pulled the condom off and tossed it into the trash can next to the bed. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me again. I laid my head on his chest and fell asleep. For the first time in nearly two weeks, I didn't have a single nightmare.


	15. Chapter 15

I woke up the next morning with the feeling that someone was watching me. I rolled onto my back and saw Edward laying next to me with a big smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile as I felt my blush creep up on my cheeks.

"Morning," I whispered.

"Morning," he whispered. "You talk in your sleep."

"Oh shit," I cringed. "What did I say?"

"Nothing bad," smirked Edward. "Just that you like my ass."

"It's ok," I said, offhandedly.

"Just ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," I smirked as I reached under the blankets and wrapped my hand around his hard cock. "But this on the other hand, is quite wonderful."

"Oh, really," he smirked as I moved so that I was straddling him.

"Yep," I said as I started rubbing my pussy against his hard cock.

"Oh, fuck, that feels good," he moaned. "I want to be inside of you now."

I didn't say anything as I lifted onto my knees and slid down on his cock. I moaned when I felt him fully sheathed inside of me. Edward moved his hands to my hips as I lifted up and slide back down slowly.

"Faster, Baby," he moaned.

"Fuck," I growled as I placed my hands on his thighs and started moving faster and harder.

Edward flipped us so that he was hovering over me. He brought his lips down to the side of my neck and started kissing me as he started driving into me hard. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my feet behind him, pulling him into me deeper. I could feel my orgasm starting to build so I started lifting me hips to meet his. Edward groaned and pushed into me harder. I muttered a series of incoherent words as my walls clenched down on Edward's cock, causing him to come inside of me mumbling my name over and over.

Edward stilled his movements but didn't move for a few minutes as he continued to kiss my neck and jaw before he found my lips. We kissed for a few more minutes before we had to break for air.

"Fuck," he muttered as he pulled out of me and laid down next to me.

"What?" I asked as I rolled over and looked at him.

"I forgot the condom," he whispered.

"I'm on the pill," I whispered. He leaned over and looked at me.

"Why didn't you tell me that last night?" he asked.

"Didn't think about it. I was kind of caught up in the moment," I smirked. He chuckled softly and kissed me. "So what happens now?"

"I was thinking we could take a shower and maybe go on a date or something really boring," he chuckled.

"You want to take me on a date?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "I told you, Bella. I want you,. I want all of you."

"Baggage and all?" I asked.

"Your baggage can go with my baggage," said Edward, stroking my check. "I love you, Bella. I want forever with you."

"You do?" I whispered with a small smile.

"Yes, I do," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Edward. I want forever with you too," I whispered.

"Let's go take a shower. Then we can go get some breakfast," whispered Edward. He looked over at the clock. "Or maybe lunch."

"Will you buy me a big cheeseburger?" I asked.

"Yep," he chuckled.

"It's a date," I laughed.

I just chuckled as I followed him into the bathroom. He turned on the water and we slowly washed each other's bodies. Edward turned off the water and we dried off. We went back into his room. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt while I pulled on my dress from last night. He teased me about doing the walk of shame but I just chuckled and told him I wasn't ashamed of anything I did last night. That caused him to moan, call me a tease, and bend me over the side the bed and fuck me again.

We made our way out to my car. I handed Edward the keys and let him drive me back to my apartment. We made our way inside. I was thankful that Rose and Alice weren't here. I'm not sure I wanted my perfect day ruined by their questions. We made our way inside my room and I pulled on jeans and a white shirt. I grabbed my jacket and followed Edward back down to the car. He drove us down to the pier. He helped me out and held my hand as we windowed shopped.

We stopped and grabbed a couple cheeseburgers and settled onto a bench while we ate.

"Does your family know about James?" asked Edward, out of the blue.

"No, I only told my Uncle Eleazar and Aunt Carmen," I said. "My parents and sisters didn't like me living in New York and didn't come visit me much so I didn't tell them. Charlie and Renee would shit themselves if I told them a suspect was after me. Alice and Rose would try to take control of my life."

"How did you do it?" asked Edward. I turned and looked at him.

"Do what?" I asked.

"How did deal with the aftermath of his attack?" asked Edward.

"I really don't know that I have. I spent two weeks in the hospital and then another four weeks at home before I went back to work. It was really hard to just get through the day. I was so alone. I didn't have anyone to count on. I was angry and bitter. I went back to work and my colleagues stared at me like I was fixing to break, which as you know, pisses me off. So I threw myself in the job. I spent hours working out. When Carlisle came back a few months after the attack to talk to me about us, he brought Esme with him. They came to my apartment and I, um, I was holding my gun to my head because I wanted the pain to go away. I wasn't in a good place. They talked me down. Esme held me all night while I sobbed. She never let go of me, Edward. She and I spent the day together talking and it helped. Sometimes I would I call her and she would talk me through an episode. I started seeing her last week because I have been having horrible nightmares again."

"Did you love Carlisle?" whispered Edward.

"Yes, but I was never in love with him. He's my best friend, you know," I whispered. "I need him and Esme. They understand how hard it was. How hard it still is sometimes."

"And…Jacob?" asked Edward. "Did you love him?"

"I didn't love him. I needed him for a long time because he made feel normal again for the first time since the attack but I never loved him. I didn't think I would find love," I whispered through my tears.

"I will always be here, Bella. I promise," whispered Edward. I laid my head in his shoulder.

"I know." I whispered. "How many women have you been with?"

"Besides you, two." said Edward.

"Lauren and who?" I asked.

"I didn't sleep with Lauren," said Edward.

"You don't have to lie to me, Edward," I said.

"I'm not lying, Bella," said Edward. "I don't even know why I brought her to the bar that night. She's repulsive. I was just so confused."

"About what?" I asked.

"About my feelings for you," said Edward. "I've hadn't been with anyone in two years and as soon as you walked into that elevator, I wanted you. I'm not used to those feeling again."

"Why not?" I asked. Edward took a deep breath as he looked over at the ocean.

"Her name was Lora. She and I dated for three years before she was killed in a car accident two years ago." whispered Edward.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I whispered. "Did you love her?"

"Yes, I did." whispered Edward.

"I'm glad you loved her." I whispered.

"I love you more, Bella." whispered Edward. I looked up at him.

"You do?" I asked.

"Yes, baby, I do. I feel like I have known you forever. I love you." whispered Edward.

"I love you too." I whispered before he kissed me. "And the other person you've been with?"

"Jenn was my high school girlfriend. We went out for two years before we decided to see other people when she left for college. I hear she is a lesbian now. Big ego boost," he chuckled softly.

"Wow," I chuckled. "I would imagine that does a lot to your self esteem."

"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "But she's happy and I get you so it's ok."

"Just ok?" I asked with a smirk.

"So it might be a little better than ok," chuckled Edward.

"As long as it's a little better than I guess I can live with that," I chuckled softly as I laid my head on his shoulder. "Tell me about your childhood."

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Everything," I said. "I want to know everything about you."

Edward and I sat on that bench for the rest of the afternoon while he told me about his childhood. He told me stories about Esme and some of the shit she would do to him. It's wonder he survived past the age of ten but I could tell that he loved her. I understood why he was so protective of her now. I'm the same way with my sisters but he and Esme really never had rift that me, Rose, and Alice did. The more he told me the bigger his smile got. The more he told me, the more carefree he became. I realized now that he had built up almost as many walls around his heart that I had built around mine. Together we would help each other break them down.

I told him stories from my time in New York. I told him about my partner I had after Carlisle, Tanya, and how we fought against the boys club there. The more I told him about my relationship with Carlisle, Esme, and Izzy the more he smiled. I think he was finally starting to understand how much I needed them in my life.

We sat on the bench and watched the sunset. We got up and made our way back to the car. We climbed in and drove back to Edward's house. We ordered a pizza and watched a couple movies as we cuddled on the couch. After the second movie, we went into his bedroom. We pulled each other's clothes off and made love for hours. We fell asleep with our arms wrapped around each other. Today had been the best day of my life.


	16. Chapter 16

I was shaken awake when I heard someone banging on Edward's apartment door. Edward looked at the clock before he climbed out of the bed. He pulled on his jeans and went out and opened the door.

"Man, have you seen, Bella?" asked Emmett, from the living room. "Rose and Alice said she never came home from the club Friday night."

"She's fine," said Edward. I climbed out of bed and pulled on Edward's boxers and t-shirt from the day before.

"How do you know?" asked Emmett.

"Just trust me. She's fine," said Edward. I pulled out my cell phone and found fourteen missed calls from Alice and Rose.

"Where is she?" asked Emmett. I just sighed as I made my way out to the living room. Emmett turned and looked at me and his mouth fell open. "You two?"

"Yeah, I'll call Rose now, ok?" I said.

"Yeah, cause they are fucking freaked out," said Emmett, harshly. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I didn't want to talk to them," I said. I looked over at Edward. "I'm going to use your room to call her."

"Ok," said Edward.

I could tell he was amused by all of this. I went back into Edward's room and shut the door. I could hear Emmett whispering to Edward. I sighed as I sat down on the bed and dialed her number. The phone rang twice.

"Isabella Marie Swan, where the hell are you?" snapped Rose.

"I'm fine," I said. "How are you?"

"Bella, tell us where you are now?" snapped Alice.

"I'm at Edward's," I whispered.

"What?" snapped Rose.

"I said-"

"I know what you said, Bella. Why are you at his place?" asked Rose.

"I think you know why," I chuckled.

"Why didn't you call us?" snapped Alice. "We've been worried sick."

"You mean like I was when you two did the same thing the other night?" I asked.

"Bella, we came to see you the next day. It's been two days," said Alice.

"Technically, it's only been a day and a half," I said.

"Bella-"

"Look, I'm fine. I will see you guys later," I said before I hung up. I made my way back out to the living room. Edward was in the kitchen making coffee. "Where'd Emmett go?"

"He went back to report to Rose that you are indeed alive," chuckled Edward as handing me a cup of coffee. "How'd the call go?"

"I'm in trouble for not checking in," I chuckled.

"Yeah, I've had a few calls from Esme myself," chuckled Edward. I just rolled my eyes. "Will you come with me to lunch at my parents?"

"I don't know," I said warily. "I mean, Carlisle will be there. He might not like us having a relationship given that we work together."

"You and he had a relationship when you worked together," Edward pointed out.

"Exactly my point," I said.

"Please, I don't want to hide us. I know we can keep our private relationship away from our work relationship," said Edward, wrapping his arms around me.

"Ok," I whispered. "Besides, Izzy will be there. He won't yell at us with her there, right?"

"Probably," chuckled Edward. "But she will stick up for us."

"I knew I loved that little girl," I chuckled.

"Ok, let's go shower then we can go back to your place and you can change," said Edward.

"Fine," I grumbled.

Edward just laughed as we made our way back into his room. We stripped out of our clothes and went into the bathroom. He turned on the water and helped me in. I could feel his cock harden as he let his hands roam my body. He pressed me against the wall and thrust his hard cock into me. I moaned loudly as he pulled out and trust into me again. I locked my ankles around his waist. He kept thrusting in and out of me, harder and faster. I buried my head into his neck as I felt the tension begin to build in my stomach. Edward pulled my nipple into his mouth and bit down hard causing me to let go.

"FUCK," I screamed as I came hard. Edward thrust a few more times into me before he came inside of me.

"Fuck," he moaned as he came. I laid my head on his shoulder as I tried to catch my breath. "You ok?"

"Yeah…just give me…a second," I whispered as I took a couple deep breathes. "That feels better."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yes," I chuckled as I kissed him. "I promise."

Edward set me on my feet and we finished our shower. We made our way out into his bedroom and pulled on our clothes. Edward put on a pair of khaki pants and a white dress shirt. I put on my jeans and t-shirt from yesterday. I was going to have to start being extra clothes with me. We made our way down to my car and climbed in. Edward drove us back to my apartment. We got out and made our way up stairs I took a deep breath and opened the front door. Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Alice all looked up at us and froze.

"Hey guys." I said, cheerfully. They all narrowed their eyes at us. "So what's up?"

"You tell us," snapped Rose.

"I'm going to lunch with Edward," I said. Their eyes flickered from me to Edward. I could feel him chuckling to himself. "I'm going to go get changed. I'll be right back."

"Ok," chuckled Edward.

I went into my bedroom and stripped jeans and my t-shirt. I pulled a white and blue peasant skirt out of my closet and a blue sweater with capped sleeves. I pulled on a pair of blue heels. I grabbed my overnight bag and threw in a pair of panties, a bra, black pants, a white blouse and my black boots. I zipped up the bag and went into the bathroom. I pulled my hair down and ran my brush through it. I took a deep breath before I went back into the living room where everyone was sitting in a tense silence.

"You ready?" I asked Edward as I came out.

"Yes," said Edward. He looked down at my bag and cocked an eyebrow.

"Just in case," I chuckled.

"Good thinking," he smirked. He looked back at the others. "See you later."

"Wait," said Rose as Edward and I headed out the door. We looked back at her.

"What?" I asked.

"Bella, may I have a work with you in private?" she asked.

"No," I said.

"Fine, what the fuck do you think you are doing getting involved with Edward?" she snapped.

"It's none of your fucking business," I snapped.

"It's our fucking business," snapped Emmett.

"How?" asked Edward.

"We are on your team," said Jasper.

"Oh, I get it," I said. "You think this is just my way of fucking my way up again."

"No-" said Jasper.

"You know, you both can fuck off. I don't give a shit anymore. Edward and I are together. It will not effect our working relationship. Just fucking deal with it already," I snapped. "Let's go, Baby."

"Ok, Babe," said Edward as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

He led me outside and down to the car. We climbed in and headed off to his parents house. He pulled up in front of a large white Victorian style house with a large wrap around porch. We climbed out of the car and Edward wrapped his arm around my waist as we headed inside.

He opened the door and found Carlisle, Izzy, and Esme sitting on the couch with Edward's parent's. His father was a tall but slender man with light brown hair and brown eyes. His mother had the same auburn hair that Edward and Esme both have. She also had the same green eyes. Carlisle's eyes narrowed as he went from me to Edward.

"AUNTIE BELLA!." squealed Izzy as she ran over and jumped into my arms.

"How's my big girl doing today?" I chuckled.

"I'm good. Nana and Papa let eat ice cream last night but don't tell mommy," she whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I won't, sweetheart," I whispered. Edward's parent's just chuckled when Esme glared at them.

"Izzy, sweetheart, will you introduce me to your friend?" said Edward's mother.

"Nana, this is my Auntie Bella," said Izzy.

"I'm Elizabeth Mason," said Edward's mother. "Izzy has told me a lot about her Auntie Bella."

"I'm Bella Swan. It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Mason," I said softly. I could feel Carlisle and Esme's eyes flickering from me to Edward.

"Please call me Elizabeth, dear," she said, looking at Edward. "The pleasure is mine."

"You have a lovely home," I said softly.

"Thank you, Bella," said Elizabeth. She led me and Izzy over to Edward's father who was just smirking at Edward. "Bella, this is Edward's father, Edward Sr."

"Hello, Bella," said Edward Sr.

"Hello, Mr. Mason," I said shaking his hand firmly.

"Please call me Ed," he chuckled. He looked from me to Edward. "It's lovely to meet you. Please have a seat."

"Thank you, Ed," I said softly. I sat down on the couch and sat Izzy on my lap.

"Auntie Bella?" whispered Izzy.

"Yes, sweetheart?" I whispered.

"Is Uncle Eddie your boyfriend?" she whispered loudly. I felt my face turn red as everyone turned to look at me.

"Yes, I am, Izzy. Is that ok with you?" whispered Edward. I smiled softly when he wrapped his arm around us.

"Oh, yes, Uncle Eddie. You and Auntie Bella are so pretty," she whispered.

"We aren't nearly as pretty as you are, Izzy," I whispered. She blushed and ducked her head into my neck.

"I love you, Auntie Bella," she whispered.

"I love you too," I whispered.

"Izzy, why don't you and Nana and Papa go check on lunch? I need to speak to Auntie Bella and Uncle Eddie," said Carlisle. I looked over at him and he glared at me.

"Come on, Izzy," said Elizabeth. She, Ed and Izzy went into the kitchen. Edward and I looked over at Carlisle and Esme.

"So how was your weekend?" I asked. They both just narrowed their eyes at us. I could feel Edward chuckle. "Carlisle, don't be like this. You know we will keep it out of the office."

"Bella, you have already had to deal with enough office gossip over the last two weeks. Why would you invite more?" snapped Carlisle. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"If I remember correctly that's not entirely my fault, is it?" I snapped.

"No, but fucking around with Edward is not going to help," snapped Carlisle.

"Carlisle, back the fuck off," snapped Edward. "Look, I love her."

"You do?" whispered Esme with a big smile.

"Yes, I do," whispered Edward.

"I love him. Car, I finally found love," I whispered. His face relaxed as he smiled softly.

"I'm happy for you, Bell. Just be careful at the office," whispered Carlisle. "The last thing you need is for Emmett or Jasper to find out."

"Too late."


	17. Chapter 17

"You're killing me, Bell," Carlisle grumbled as he leaned back on the couch and ran his fingers down his face. "How did they find out?"

"Rose sent Emmett to Edward's apartment to see if he knew where I was after I ignore her and Alice," I explained.

"What did they say?" asked Carlisle.

"They aren't too happy about it," I said

"You want me to talk to them?" asked Carlisle.

"No. All that will do is cause more problems," I said softly.

"Ok, but if they get out hand I will handle it," said Carlisle as Izzy, Elizabeth and Ed came back in.

"Everything ok?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yes, Elizabeth," said Carlisle.

"Good because lunch is ready." said Elizabeth.

"Sit by me Auntie Bella," squealed Izzy as she pulled me into the dinning room.

"Ok, Izzy," I chuckled as I sat down next to her. Edward came over and sat down next to me.

"So, Bella, what do you do?" asked Ed as we fixed our plates.

"I'm a member of Carlisle's team," I said. He looked over at me. I could see the surprise all over his face.

"You are?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," I said. He exchanged a look with Elizabeth.

"That's a pretty tough job," said Ed.

"Yes, sir, it is," I said.

"Dad, stop," said Edward. I looked between them before I looked back at Ed.

"You don't think I can protect myself or the rest of my team, do you?" I asked.

"No, I don't," said Ed. "You're a small woman. You're barely 110."

"Dad-" started Edward.

"Ed, I was a cop for seven years in New York with special victims. I have more than 500 busts on my record alone. I have black belt in both judo and jujitsu. I have a master's degree in criminal psychology and criminal justice and I graduated top of my class from the academy with honors. I don't mean to sound cocky but there's not much I don't know," I explained.

"That's all good, Bella, but how can you take a perp the size of Edward down?" asked Ed. Carlisle, Esme and Edward all chuckled.

"I took Emmett McCarty down," I smirked. Ed's eyes got big.

"You did?" he asked.

"Yes, she did," said Edward. He looked between me and Edward.

"Is she your partner?" asked Ed.

"Yes and she's the best partner I've ever had," said Edward shortly.

"I bet," chuckled Ed. I knew exactly what he was thinking. I could feel Edward tense up.

"Izzy, will you take your plate and eat in the kitchen please?" asked Carlisle.

"Ok, Daddy," whispered Izzy. She picked up her plate and took it into the kitchen. Carlisle turned to Ed.

"Don't ever make assumptions like that about a member of my team. Bella is the best agent we have. Since she joined us we have been able to make big strides on a case we have working on for months. She is an expert profiler and forensic analysts. She had more commendations from her seven year career than you did in your thirty year career. She is the best person to be teamed up with Edward," snapped Carlisle.

"That's all good, Carlisle, but the field is no place for a woman. Surely you can find her a desk job," said Ed.

"Dad-" started Esme. I grabbed Edward's hand and gave him a soft smile.

"A desk job would be a waste of her abilities and experience," snapped Carlisle. Ed looked from me to Carlisle and glared at us.

"You fucked her, didn't you?" snapped Ed.

"EDWARD MICHEAL MASON," screamed Elizabeth at Ed. His eyes snapped over to her. "That is enough."

"Liz-" started Ed.

"Elizabeth, it's fine," I said. I looked back over at Ed. "You know have spent my entire life with people who assumed that the only way I got to where I was is because I slept my way up. Let me make it very clear to you. I graduated high school at fourteen. I went to NYU where I graduated with my undergrad and graduate degrees in criminal psychology and criminal justice by the time I turned eighteen. I went to the academy and graduate, with honors, at the top of my class at nineteen. I earned a spot on the special victims unit where I busted 500 plus of the worst monster you can imagine. I worked my ass off against men like you who think my place is in a kitchen barefoot and pregnant, including my own father. I made Captain after five years on the job. I heard all the same shit you are spewing but I'm the one who keeps perverts away from little girls like Izzy. I'm the one who held their hands when I couldn't stop them. I was the one who had to sit and hold a woman's hand after she was raped by her boss because as a woman, she trusted me. When my male partner was in the ally puking his dinner up when we found a six year old little girl tied up to her parent's bed and left for dead after they let men come in and fuck her until she bleed to death from the trauma, I was the one who processed the scene."

"I didn't mean to insinuate that you aren't a good cop," said Ed as he shifted in his sit and looked away.

"Yes, you did. Carlisle forgot to tell you that I can tell when people lie by their body language," I said. Ed's eyes went over to Carlisle, who just nodded his head and smirked. "Anything else you would like to say?"

"No." chuckled Ed. "Welcome to the family."

"Thanks, Ed." I chuckled as Carlisle's cell went off. He pulled it out and went into the other room.

"So where are you from, Bella?" asked Elizabeth as Carlisle came running back in.

"We have a new victim. We need to get to the office," said Carlisle.

"It was nice meeting you both," I said as I stood up. I went into the kitchen and gave Izzy a hug. "Izzy, I have to go to work but you take care of your mommy for me, ok?"

"Ok, Auntie Bella," whispered Izzy.

Carlisle, Edward and I made our way out to my car. I handed Edward the keys and climbed into the backseat. Edward threw my light on the top of the car while Carlisle called the others into meet us. We pulled up in front of the office and made our way inside. I grabbed my bag of cloths and took it with me. The three of us made our way up to the office. We went in and found everyone already here. Garrett and Ben chuckled when they saw me in my heels.

"Listen up, Myra Clark was found an hour ago in central park. New York FBI believes this is the work of James Sanders," said Carlisle. "Ben, is Angela safe?"

"Yeah, I left her with Rose and Alice. They were taking her Forks to stay with Bella's parents," said Ben.

"Good, we need to get to the airport. We are on our way New York," said Carlisle. "Pack up the case files and let's go. Bella, go change in my office."

"Yes, sir," I said.

I ran down to his office and quickly changed into black pants, white dress shirt and boots. I made my way out and followed the others to the elevator. We made our way down and climbed into our cars. We drove to the airport and boarded the place. The plane took off and we started going through the case files.

"What do we know Myra Clark?" I asked.

"23 yrs old grad student at NYU. She was last seen leaving the campus library three nights ago. Two joggers found her body this morning in the middle of central park only this time he didn't burn her," said Carlisle.

"That's a first," said Emmett. "Wonder why he didn't."

"Maybe someone came up on him during the dump and he got scared," said Ben.

"No, he wouldn't get scared. He wouldn't let someone live if they saw him dumping her," I said looking through the photos that were faxed to us from New York. "All five girls he's gone after were taken from their college libraries. They were all graduate students. What were the majors of the girls he killed?"

"Erin Walters was an criminal justice major as were Sarah Briggs, Amy Robertson and Myra Clark." said Garrett. "The only difference is Angela."

"No, she isn't." said Ben. We all looked over at him. "She's getting a double degree in criminal justice and English lit."

"Why come to New York?" asked Jasper. "His other victims all lived on the west coast."

"Bell, look at her address," said Carlisle handing me the information on our girl. I looked down at it and snapped my head up at him. "Look familiar?"

"Fuck," I muttered.

"What is it?" asked Emmett.

"She lived in the apartment I lived in when he attacked me," I said. "That's why he went after her. He was looking for me."

"So it would seem," said Carlisle. "Is there anyway he could have gotten you're the address of the apartment you moved to?"

"Yes, the prosecution had to give his attorney my information as a witness against him," I said.

"Do you think his attorney would have given it to him?" asked Emmett.

"I don't know but we need to have someone check on the people who bought my apartment when I moved," I said.

"Garrett, contact New York and have them send a car over to check on them. Ben, have someone bring in his attorney. We need to speak to him," said Carlisle.

"Yes, sir," they both said.

"Bella, Jake is on this case," said Carlisle. I looked up at him. "He's with the New York office now."

"Ok," I said. I felt Edward tense up next to me. "Have they found the video yet?"

"No, as soon as we land we are heading to the park to look for it ourselves," said Carlisle watching me closely.

"Don't start, Carlisle," I said.

"Fine," sighed Carlisle.

Nothing else was said as we made our way to New York. Garrett said the people in my old apartment were fine but they were going to keep a car on them just in case. Ben said they were bringing in the attorney. We landed in New York and climbed into the cars that were waiting for us. We made our way through the city and down to central park. We climbed out and made our way down to the crime scene. Seth and Jacob both looked over at me. Seth smiled but Jacob didn't.

"Bella, how the fuck are you?" asked Seth as he came over and hugged me.

"I'm good, Seth. How's the baby?" I asked.

"She's teething. It's been a nightmare but Cora's handling it pretty well," chuckled Seth.

"That's good. How's Tanya handling it?" I asked.

"Not great," he chuckled. "So Seattle seems to agree with you."

"I love it there. Even if I am living with Rose and Alice," I chuckled. "Seth, Jacob, you know Carlisle. This is my partner, Edward Mason. This is Garrett Mitchell, Ben Cheney, Emmett McCarty and Jasper Whitlock. Boys, this is Seth Clearwater and Jacob Black."

"Nice to meet you all," said Seth. "Carlisle, it's nice to see you again."

"You too, Seth," said Carlisle. "So have you found anything?"

"No, he hasn't left us anything useful. We have a set of tire tracks over here" said Seth as he lead us to the tracks. "Bell, you know what they are?"

"Yeah, ford mustang, 1964 from the looks of the tires marks," I said.

"Paul run a check on all 1964 ford mustangs in the city," yelled Jacob.

"It won't be registered," I said.

"Probably not but we should still check," said Jacob harshly. I just rolled my eyes.

"Have you found the video yet?" I asked.

"No," said Seth.

I just nodded and made my way around the crime scene. This one was different from the other scenes. He still didn't leave us any solid proof but he didn't destroy the body like he normally does. It didn't make since. I knelt down and took a look around. What made him decide to change his MO now? It made no sense to me. There was several spatters of blood around where her body was found.

"Seth?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said coming over here.

"Has there been a paint ball game here recently?" I asked.

"No. I don't think so. Why?" he asked.

"Was her body covered in paint?" I asked.

"No. She was found naked," said Seth.

"Then how did this red paint get here?" I asked as I pulled on my gloves and took a swab of the paint off the ground where her body was.

"I don't know. Maybe someone came out here to paint and spilled their paint," said Jacob.

"No, he's to anal about his crime scenes. He wants every detail to be perfect. He wouldn't drop her here," said Edward come over and kneeling next to me. "Which means he left us the paint to find."

"He won't leave a video this time. He's making it harder for us to find his next victim," I said, standing up. I looked around. "Has anyone processed her apartment?"

"No, not yet," said Seth.

"Bella, Edward, why don't you both and Seth and Jake go process her apartment. We will finish the scene here," said Carlisle.

"Ok," I said. I bagged the paint sample and handed it to Garrett. Me and Edward followed Seth and Jacob over to their car. We climbed in and headed down to the girls apartment.

"Bella, how have you been?" asked Jacob.

"I've been great," I lied.

"Bullshit," chuckled Seth. I just chuckled.

"I've been ok. It's been hard adjusting to living with Rose and Alice again. I mean, I can only take so much girl talk." I chuckled.

"You seeing anyone?" asked Jacob. Seth shot him a look.

"Yes, I am," I said softly.

"He makes you happy?" asked Jacob.

"Happiest I've ever been," I said. I saw Jake tense up for a minute before he relaxed.

"Good. You deserve to be happy," said Jake as we pulled up in front of the apartment building.

Edward, Seth, Jacob and I made our way into the building. We went up to the fifth floor. The landlord let us into her apartment. It was hard to be back in this apartment again. I moved out of this apartment a few weeks after the attack. I couldn't handle being here. Her living room was tidy. Nothing looked out of place. We made our way into the kitchen but found nothing out of the ordinary. From the kitchen we made our way into the bedroom.

We walked in and I felt my entire body begin to shake violently. Every inch of her walls were covered in pictures of me.


	18. Chapter 18

There were pictures of me leaving the apartment I shared with Rose and Alice. Pictures of me going to work, running, leaving work. Pictures of me with Alice, Rose, Angela, Kate and Esme Pictures of me with Izzy at the zoo. Pictures from inside my room in my apartment. I was naked in some of them. On one wall, he was the pictures framed around words that he writen in red paint, 'Soon, Isabella, you will be mine.' I ran into the bathroom and vomited violently. Edward came in and held my hair for me.

"You ok?" he asked.

"No," I whispered as I stood up. We made our way back into the room.

"Did you know he was watching you?" asked Jacob.

"No, I had no clue," I said pulling out my cell phone. I dialed Carlisle.

"This is Cullen," he answered.

"Car, you need to get the team here now," I said not meeting everyone's eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Let's load up."

"Everything," I said. "He has pictures, Car."

"Pictures of what?" whispered Carlisle.

"Me," I whispered.

"We'll be there in five," said Carlisle before he hung up.

I closed my phone. I pulled on my gloves and began processing her room. Edward, Seth and Jake didn't say anything as they followed my example. I started looking at the pictures. It looked like he followed us back from San Francisco and started taking pictures that day. It looked like he had taken pictures of me everyday since then until Thursday. I heard the rest of the team come into the room and gasp.

"Fuck," muttered Carlisle. I turned and looked at him.

"He's been watching me for two weeks, Car," I said. "He's been watching everything I do."

"I know," whispered Carlisle as he came over to me. He put his hands on my face. "You're ok, Bella. Don't let him win."

"He watched me with Izzy," I whispered as a tear slipped down my face. He gently wiped it away for me. "With Izzy, Carlisle. I can't…not Izzy."

"He won't hurt you or her. We won't let him," whispered Carlisle. "I promise."

"Ok," I said. I turned back to the others. "I think he took her to get me here. He wanted me to see this."

"Ok, so what made him think you would come here?" asked Jacob.

"He saw me in San Francisco when Edward and I stopped him from taking his last target," I explained.

"Who is it?" asked Seth. I looked over at him.

"James Sanders," I said. His face paled while Jacob's face turned bright red.

"WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TELL US HE WAS AFTER YOU AGAIN?" bellowed Jacob.

"It wasn't any of your business. Besides, I didn't know he was after me," I snapped.

"Bella, you should have told us he was active again," snapped Seth.

"He wasn't in your area. He was in mine," I snapped. "Besides, I knew that the two of you would come running in trying to protect me. I don't need that shit."

"Bullshit," snapped Edward. I snapped my head over to him. "You are off this case and you are going into hiding."

"FUCK THAT,"I screamed.

"Bella, he's right," said Carlisle. I turned and glared at him. "Just listen to me, ok?"

"Fine," I snapped.

"He knows where you work. He knows where you live. He is not going to stop until he find you. I need you to take Izzy and Esme and go into hiding with Edward," said Carlisle.

"What?" snapped me and Edward.

"Edward, I need you to keep them safe," said Carlisle.

"You need to take Alice, Rose, Kate and Angela with you," said Emmett. "He's knows them all. You both have to keep them safe."

"Where do we take them?" asked Edward. I closed my eyes.

"We go to Forks," I said. Everyone looked back at me. "We can stay with my parent's. Between me, Edward and Charlie, we can keep everyone safe."

"Go now," said Carlisle.

"Ok," I said. I made to follow Edward out when Carlisle grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Bell, be safe. Keep my family safe," he whispered. I looked up at them.

"They are my family too," I whispered. "Have them meet us at the airport."

"I will," whispered Carlisle.

I followed Edward out of the apartment and down to the street. We hailed a cab. I pulled out my cell phone and sent Alice and Rose a text telling them to stay in Forks with Angela. They sent me a text back telling me they would. Edward and I made our way to the airport and boarded the plane back to Seattle. We buckled into our seats. As soon as the plane was air born, Edward pulled me into his arms and held me as I let all my tears fall. I cried the entire way to Seattle. He never let go.

By the time we landed in Seattle, it was nearly 8am the next morning. I was exhausted but way too tense to sleep. Edward and I walked off the plane and saw Esme, Kate and Izzy waiting for us with their bags. Esme was holding Izzy, who was sound asleep on her shoulder. We walked up to them and sighed.

"You ok, Bell?" asked Esme.

"No, I'm not," I whispered. "I'm sorry to have dragged you all into this."

"It's not your fault, Bella. This is all on him," whispered Esme.

"I know but he killed that girl to get me to New York. He's been watching me, Esme," I whispered as we made our way out to our car that was left by the agency.

"I know, Bell," she whispered. "When you've had some time to rest, we need to sit down and talk this out."

"I'm going to have to tell my parents and my sisters about the first attack," I whispered.

"We will help you," whispered Esme.

She and Kate climbed into the back seat with Izzy. Edward got behind the wheel and I got into the passenger seat. We took off toward forks. I kept watch to make sure we weren't being followed. I don't think we were. I knew I had to tell them but they would be pissed that I put myself in that kind of danger. They already weren't supportive of my life as a cop and this was just going to re-enforce their point of view. I just sighed as we past the welcome to Forks sign. I directed on how to get to the house. He pulled up and looked over at me.

"What?" I asked.

"This is where you grew up?" he asked, pointing to the very large house.

"Yes," I said as I got out of the car.

He, Esme, Kate and Izzy, who had just woken up, climbed out after me. It was just after 11am. Edward and I looked around as we ushered them up the porch and into the house. I pushed open the door and found Charlie, Renee, Rose, Alice and Angela sitting in the living room waiting for us. I quickly shut the door behind us and locked it. I looked back at the others and smiled.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," I said cheerfully.

"Isabella, what is going on?" asked Charlie.

"Charlie and Renee Swan, this is Esme and Izzy Cullen. Esme is Carlisle's wife and Izzy is their daughter. This is Kate Mitchell. This is my partner, Edward Mason," I said.

"It's nice to meet you all but, Isabella, what is going on?" asked Renee.

"Look, let me get Izzy settle in the kitchen with something to eat, ok?" I asked.

"Ok," said Renee. She looked over at Izzy. "What would you like for lunch, sweetheart?"

"Auntie Bella, is that your mommy?" whispered Izzy as she climbed from Esme's arms into mine.

"Yes, sweetheart," I whispered.

"Are you a princess?" she whispered. I heard the others chuckle lightly.

"No, sweetheart," I chuckled. I carried her into the kitchen after Renee. "Now what would you like for lunch?"

"Macaroni and cheese," she squealed.

"Mac and Cheese it is," chuckled Renee as she pulled out a sauce pan and began making her lunch. "So she's Carlisle's little girl?"

"Yes," I said. Renee looked over at me and gave me a look. "Don't start, Mom."

"Ok, Isabella," she said.

"Her name is Bella," said Izzy. "My name is Isabella."

"Sweetheart, my name is Isabella too but I prefer to called Bella," I said, giving Renee a look. She just rolled her eyes. "Just like how you like to be called Izzy."

"Oh," said Izzy as Renee sat a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of her. I went over and poured her a glass of milk and set it down in front of her. "Thank you, Auntie Bella."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. I'm going to go back into the living room. I'll tell your mommy to come in here, ok?"

"Ok," she said as she ate. Renee and I went back out into the living room.

"Esme, Izzy's eating her lunch," I said, giving her a look.

"Ok, Bell. If you need me, you know where I am," she said with a small smile.

"Thanks, Es," I whispered. She went into the kitchen and I went over and sat down next to Edward. Everyone looked up at me.

"Isabella, what is going on?" asked Charlie. "Why are you all here?"

"Six years ago, while I was working in New York with special crimes, Carlisle and I were assigned to the case of a woman who had been raped. All she could tell us about her attacker is that he was very strong. The case went cold because he didn't leave us anything. Over the next six months, he raped nine more women. Carlisle and I were working very hard to try to stop him but he was always a step ahead of us. Then one day I was sitting at my desk when a currier came in with a package. I signed for it and opened it. Inside was a picture of me and Carlisle from the night before. The man who had been raping all the women had turned his focus on me. He started sending us letters with pictures of me at my apartment, at work, everywhere. So we though we could set him up. We could use me as bait. We didn't think he took the bait so we scrapped the sting and went home. He broke into my apartment that night and tried to rape me. I managed to fight him off and cuff him before he could really do anything," I said looking down at my hands.

"What does this have to do with why you are here?" asked Charlie.

"We've been working on a case of a man who abducts women. He spends three days raping them before he strangles them and burns their bodies." said Edward. Angela gasped softly and ducked her head as she sobbed. Kate went over and pulled her into her arms. "Bella figured out that he had left us a video at each crime scene so we analyzed the video and got a partial profile of our suspect."

"His name is James Sanders. He is the same man responsible for the rapes in New York," I said. Everyone gasped. "He's after me again."

Charlie, Renee, Rose, and Alice all snapped their heads back up to me. Judging from the looks on their faces, this would not be a pleasant reaction.


	19. Chapter 19

"How do you know this?" asked Charlie.

"The profile picture shows a marine tattoo behind his left ear. I saw it he night he attacked me. We had the Portland and LA offices analyses the videos left at their crime scenes. He showed us a picture of his next victim. We were able to stop him from getting Angela after I recognized that she was a student at Berkeley. So Edward and I went to San Francisco and got there just a he was trying to grab her. He looked back and saw me. He ran. We hadn't heard anything from him in the last couple weeks until yesterday morning. We got a call that we had a victim in New York. So our team flew out. He's changed his MO. He didn't burn her body this time. He left us puddles of paint. Edward and I went to process her apartment with two agents from the New York office. We found…" I trailed off as I struggled to keep my emotions under control.

"The victim's bedroom wall was covered in pictures of Bella," said Edward. Everyone gasped again. "He had pictures of her at work, at home, out with Alice, Rose, Angela, Kate, Esme and Izzy. He left a message on the wall that said 'Soon Isabella, you will be mine.'"

"How did he know you come to New York, Isabella?" asked Charlie.

"The victim rented the apartment I had been living in when he attacked me. That's why he chose her," I whispered.

"How you not tell us when he attacked you the first time?" snapped Rose. I oculd see the anger on their faces.

"Kate, Angela, let's give them a minute," said Edward. I gave him grateful smile as they walked out.

"I was ashamed that I let him get to me," I said.

"You're quitting your job," ordered Charlie. I snapped my head at him.

"No, I'm not," I said.

"Yes, you are. You can't handle this. You could have been killed, Isabella," snapped Charlie.

"I know that, Charlie. I have lived with that every fucking day for the past six years. It hasn't been easy and it wasn't fucking fun," I snapped.

"I knew this would happen," snapped Renee. "You are quitting your job and coming back home."

"No, I'm not," I snapped. "This is my life and not yours."

"Is that why he really left you?" snapped Alice. I closed my eyes.

"Yes," I whispered. "But things between me and Carlisle were already rocky before the attack."

"So he just abandoned you when you needed him?" snapped Rose.

"Look, he was dealing with his own guilt for not being able to protect me. He and I have worked it all out. We're able to be friends now," I yelled.

"That rotten son of a bitch," yelled Charlie. "He just left you alone after some maniac tried to rape you. What kind of man is that?"

"He's a good man, Charlie," I yelled. "He was pissed at me because I refused to pull off the case when he targeted me. He pushed to get me transferred to another division but I stopped it. The night of the attack, he begged me to leave the case. He begged me to stay with him that night because he didn't think it was safe. I told him he could go to hell because I could handle. He told me he didn't want to lose me and I pushed him away and told him he already had. It was my fault that James was able to get to me."

"No, it wasn't, Bella," said Esme. I turned and saw her standing in the door way. She came over and wrapped her arms around me. "It's not your fault. It's not Carlisle's fault. He loves you, honey. He just wants to keep you safe. You're his best friend. He worries so much about you."

"I know he does," I whispered through my tears. "But I hurt him that night. I wish I could take it back."

"You can't, Bell. He knows you didn't mean it. That's why he is so worried about you being on this case, Bell. He doesn't want to lose you. Not when he just got you back," whispered Esme.

"But what if he gets hurt because I'm not there to protect him?" I asked.

"He won't. He, Garrett, Ben, Emmett, and Jasper are the best next to you and Edward. He won't get hurt," whispered Esme. I pulled away from her.

"You know I love you, Es. You're a great friend," I whispered.

"I love you too, Bell," whispered Esme as Izzy, Kate, Angela and Edward came back in. I turned back to my parents, Alice, and Rose.

"We can talk about this later," I said. "We need to get them settled. Edward and I need to secure the house."

"Ok," sighed Charlie.

I led Kate, Esme and Izzy up to their bedrooms. I was able to put Esme an Izzy in adjoining bedrooms. I blushed as I told Edward he could stay with me. He just chuckled and said he would love too. We brought in their luggage and started working on the house. We installed security cameras around the outside of the house so we could monitor the grounds. We installed a better alarm system, after listening to Charlie complain, on all the doors, windows and gates to the ground. But I knew that if he finds us here, none of this is going to stop him. We set up a command center in the formal dining room. Renee wasn't happy about us using her dinning room table but she would get over it. We got everything set up and sat down.

You ok?" asked Edward.

"Yeah," I whispered. "I just feel guilty that he killed that girl just to get to me."

"Bell, you shouldn't. He's crazy. We will stop him," said Edward. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me and kissed me softly.

"Is this how you are with all your partners?" asked Charlie. I pulled my lips away from Edward's and looked back to the door.

"Don't be an ass, Dad," I said. "I'm really not in the mood for it today."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't in the mood to have my home invaded by strangers just to learn that my daughter has been lying to me for six years," said Charlie, sitting down across from me. He looked from me to Edward. "What's your story? Why are you here?"

"I'm here because Bella is my partner and the love of my life. I'm here because Esme is my sister. I won't let this fucker hurt any of them," said Edward. He kissed my cheek. "I'm going to go check on Izzy."

"Ok," I said. He got up and left and Charlie glared at me. "What?"

"You know what," said Charlie. I sighed as I rubbed my hands on my face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew this is how you all would react. I knew that you would freak out and demand that I quit. I'm not going to. I love my job. I'm a fucking good cop," I said.

"I know you are, Isabella," said Charlie.

"Would it kill you to call me Bella?" I asked.

"Ok, Bella," he chuckled before he turned serious. "I know that you are a good cop. I know you love the job. I get that because I love the job but you choose to work in the most dangerous cities in the county. I told you when you graduated from the academy that you could come work for me. The offer still stands."

"No," I said softly. "I love you, Dad, but you don't see the ugly that is out there. You know, these people need cops like me."

"I do see the ugly," said Charlie.

"No, you don't. The biggest crime Forks sees is a break in at the pay and go. You've never seen a six year old girl have to tell you how her daddy touched her. Or have a woman tell you about the men who bent her over the hood of her car and raped her while her son had to watch because her car broke down in the wrong part of town. You've never seen the body of a ten year old boy who was ganged raped as initiation into a gang only to die because when they shoved the crow bar up his rectum to far and it puncture his colon. You've never-"

"I get it," said Charlie. "You're right, thankfully, I haven't had to see any of that. I'm glad because I don't think I could handle that but that doesn't mean that you should see it either."

"Maybe but if I don't then who is going to hold that little girls hand as she told her Mom what her dad did. I wouldn't have been there to hold that women when she told her husband how she was raped. I wouldn't have been there to hold that boy's mother when she sobbed for her son, who was an honor student at his elementary school," I said.

"You really like the job that much?" asked Charlie.

"No, I love the job that much. You know, you were the one who made me want to become a cop," I said.

"How?" asked Charlie.

"Do you remember when I was six and Brandon Phillips moved?" I asked.

"Yeah," sighed Charlie as he shifted in his seat.

"I know that the reason he moved was because his father was beating him and his mom. You helped them get away. You helped them start over," I said.

"Fine, Bella, but I don't want to lose you to the job," whispered Charlie.

"You won't," I said softly.

"So you and Edward?" asked Charlie.

"What about us?" I asked.

"You love him?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," I said softly.

"Bella, Carlisle needs to talk to you," said Edward as he came in. He handed me his cell phone. Charlie smiled as he left the room.

"Carlisle, what's up?" I asked.

"James skipped town after he killed the family who bought your apartment," said Carlisle.

"Fuck," I muttered. "How the hell did he get to them? I thought we had a car on them?"

"They fucking fell asleep on the clock," muttered Carlisle.

"Fucking assholes," I muttered.

"Look, I think he knows you're in Forks," said Carlisle.

"Car, I won't let them get hurt," I said.

"I know, Bell. Look, we are on our way to Forks now," said Carlisle. "We should be there in a four hours."

"Ok, I'll pick you up at the airport," I said.

"Are you going to warn Charlie that I'm coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's not very happy with how things ended," I whispered.

"I know he's not," whispered Carlisle.

"Hey, we're good, remember?" I said. "You and me are friends."

"I know, Bell. I'll see you in a few hours," whispered Carlisle before he hung up.

"Did he tell you?" I asked looking back at Edward.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Fucking rookies."

"They had two little girls Izzy's age. They were ballerinas," I whispered. "He's a fucking monster."

"Yes, he is," said Edward. I got up and made my way into the living room where everyone was sitting. Izzy was on Charlie's lap while they played dolls. He looked up at me and I smirked.

"Don't start, Isabella," chuckled Charlie. He gave me a curious look. "What's wrong?"

"Carlisle and the rest of the team are on their way," I said. I looked over at Esme. "Izzy, will you do me a big favor, sweetheart?"

"Yes," she said.

"Will you go play in your room for a few minutes? I'll come play dolls with you in a minute, ok?" I asked.

"Ok, Auntie Bella," she whispered. She picked up her dolls from the table and ran up the stairs. I turned back to everyone.

"James Sanders killed the family that bought my apartment New York. He could be on his way here," I said. I sat down on the couch. "He killed innocent people to get to me. He killed two little girls Izzy's age to get to me."

"Baby, it's ok," whispered Edward as he pulled me into his arms.

"What kind of monster kills babies like that?" I sobbed softly.

"I don't know," whispered Edward as he tightened his arms around me.


	20. Chapter 20

Nothing else was said. I laid in Edward's arms and cried for a few minutes before I got up and went upstairs to Izzy. She and I played dolls for a little while until it was time for her nap. I laid down in the bed with her and held her until she fell asleep. I kissed her forehead and slipped out of her room and went downstairs. Everyone was sitting around the living room when I came in.

"Bell, you need to get some sleep. You haven't slept in two days," said Esme as I sat next to her.

"I'm fine," I said. "She's such a sweet little girl, Es."

"I know she is," said Esme. "She loves you so much, Bell."

"I love her," I whispered. Esme's shoulders started shaking as she cried. "I won't let anyone hurt her. I promise."

"I can't lose her, Bell. I can't. I need her. I need Car. I need you and Edward. Please don't let him take my family from me," she sobbed. I pulled her into my arms and held her as everyone watched.

"I won't, Esme. I promise. You're my best friend," I whispered through my tears.

"You're my sister, Bell," she whispered.

"Great, another annoying sister," I whispered. She chuckled while Alice and Rose just glared at me. "You two got something to say?"

"How could you not tell us about the first attack, Bella?" asked Rose.

"I was scared and embarrassed. I was humiliated," I whispered.

"We would have helped you. We would have kept you safe," said Alice though her tears.

"You couldn't," I said. "You don't understand. My life was out of control. I was barely able to drag myself out of my apartment. I …."

"Tell them, Bell. You need to tell them," whispered Esme.

"I didn't want you to see me as weak," I whispered through my tears. "When I told you all that I was going to the academy not a one of you supported my decision. Dad, you told me I should be a doctor and find me a nice man. Mom, you said I would get myself killed because I wasn't strong enough. Ali, Ro, you both told me that I was never going to find a man as long as I was so butch. Then you asked me if I was a lesbian. Why should I have told you when all it would have done is made you think you were right?"

"Isabella, I have never thought you weren't strong enough," said Renee. "But you don't need to see all that gore."

"Mom, I'm a good cop. No, I'm a great cop. I love the job. If I'm not there to stop those monsters then what's going to stop them from hurting you, Ali, Ro, Izzy. I have to stop them," I said.

"You shouldn't have had to deal with all of that alone," said Rose. I closed my eyes. I knew Rose would be the one to bring him into it.

"I know but I did. He feels bad enough so drop it, ok?" I said. I opened my eyes. I got up and made my way over to the door. "Edward and I are going to get the team. Charlie, keep them safe."

"I will," said Charlie.

Edward and I made our way out to the car. We climbed in and I drove us down to the airport. We got out of the car and made our way inside. The rest of our team was waiting by the baggage claim. They all looked up at us as we came up to them.

"You ok, Bell?" asked Carlisle.

"I'm fine," I said. "Got everything you need?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Let's go," I said. They followed me out to the car. We climbed in an I headed back to the house.

"Edward, I grabbed you a bag of clothes," said Emmett. "Bella, I grabbed you some from your place too."

"Thanks, Emmett," I said. "Did you have fun rifling through my panties?"

"Yes," chuckled Emmett. I just rolled my eyes at him.

"Is the house secure?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, we have cameras covering every angle, alarms on the doors, windows, and the east and west gates," I explained.

"Gates?" asked Emmett.

"How much of the grounds do the camera's see?" asked Carlisle, ignoring Emmett.

"We get about fifty yards in every direction," I said.

"Fuck, that's not much," muttered Carlisle.

"I know but I don't think we can cover all the grounds," I said.

"How big is your house here?" asked Jasper. Carlisle, Edward, and I all exchanged a look.

"Big," we all said together. We pulled up in front of the house and they all gasped.

"This isn't big. This is fucking huge," said Emmett.

"This is nothing compared to their house in the Hamptons," chuckled Carlisle.

"Car, you are such an ass," I chuckled. I turned back to the rest of the team. "Look, my family comes from old money, ok? We aren't flashy about it because my parent's raised us to work hard for our money. This house has been in my family for the last two hundred years."

"Wow," they all muttered.

Carlisle and I just laughed as we climbed out of the car and grabbed our stuff. The rest of the team grabbed their stuff and we headed inside. As soon as we were inside, Esme was in Carlisle's arms as was Rose in Emmett's, Alice in Jasper's, Kate in Garrett's and Angela in Ben's. Edward and I carried our stuff up to my room. A few minutes later, we came back downstairs to the living room. I could feel the tension in the room between Carlisle and my family. I just rolled my eyes.

"Edward, why don't you show the rest of the team our command room," I said.

"Yeah, good idea," said Edward. "Let's go guys."

"Yeah," said Emmett. He looked between Carlisle and Charlie for a moment before he followed the rest of the team, Kate, Esme, Alice, Rose and Angela out of the room.

"Charlie, I-" started Carlisle.

"I really don't think there's anything for you to say," snapped Charlie. "How could you leave her when she needed you? What kind of man are you?"

"I know I did," said Carlisle. "I was wrong."

"Dad-" I started.

"No, Bell, he's right," said Carlisle, giving me a soft smile. He turned back to Charlie. "I handled things wrong with Bella. I loved her and I was afraid I was going to lose her to the job. That scare the shit out of me. I'm not normally a trusting person but I trusted her with my life. I should have been there that night. I should have been there for her afterwards but I wasn't and I can't change that. I wish I could but if I hadn't come to Seattle, I wouldn't have started therapy. I wouldn't have meet Esme, who is the love of my life, and I wouldn't have my daughter. I wouldn't have had the courage to let Bella go. She deserves better than me."

"Car," I whispered. "You're too hard on yourself. You always were."

"He's not hard enough," muttered Charlie. I snapped my head to him.

"Charlie, you have no idea what he has been through," I snapped. He looked at me and glared.

"Poor Carlisle had to watch while he let his girlfriend nearly get killed," snapped Charlie.

"Bella, it doesn't matter," whispered Carlisle.

"Yes, it fucking does," I snapped. "Carlisle has seen way more in his life than you and me put together. Trust me when I say his pain is fucking real."

"He made the choice just like you did to work special crimes," snapped Charlie.

"You would to if you had to see your mother raped in front of you when you were ten," whispered Carlisle. Charlie's head snapped over to Carlisle.

"What?" whispered Charlie.

"Car, it wasn't your fault. You were a kid," I whispered as I pulled him into my arms.

"I know that, Bell," whispered Carlisle. "I'm going to see Izzy."

"Ok, honey," I whispered. Carlisle kissed my forehead before he ran up the stairs. I turned back to Charlie. "The case of the woman who was ganged raped when her car broke down in the wrong part of town. He was ten and in the car with her. They held him down and made him watch as man after man after man raped her. She went home and killed herself. His father blamed him and was so disgusted with him that he shipped Carlisle off to foster care where he had to learn to defend himself against boys who were much bigger than he was because no foster parents wanted to take him in."

"I didn't...." trailed off Charlie.

How's that foot tasting?" I asked.

I turned and went into the command center with the rest of the team. Edward gave me a look but I just shook my head at him. I don't know how much Carlisle has told the team. I sat down and listened while Edward explained everything to the others. Carlisle came in and took the seat next to me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"You ok, Car?" I whispered.

"No, but he's right. I handle things wrong when I left," he whispered. "Did you tell him?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "He doesn't understand real pain like you do."

"Or you," whispered Carlisle. The others all turned and looked at us.

"You have to stop blaming yourself for him coming after me, Car. Sooner or later, he would have found his way to me," I whispered. I felt Carlisle tense up. "You remember when we went to see Cats?"

"Fuck, yeah. You were wearing that little red dress," he whispered. "God, you looked beautiful."

"We were so bored so we started mocking the actors," I whispered with a chuckle.

"We got kicked out and banned from that theater," chuckled Carlisle.

"It was a crappy theater anyway," I chuckled. "You're not that boy anymore, Car. You let it all go when you meet Esme. She saved you from drowning in the pain that you held onto for way too long."

"You helped me too. You made me feel free for the first time," whispered Carlisle as a tear fell from his eye. "You are the strongest, bravest, most carefree person I have ever meet."

"No, that's Esme," I whispered through my tears. "You brought her to me. If you hadn't, I wouldn't be here. You both stopped me that night."

"I shouldn't have left you like that," he whispered through his tears. Everyone got up an left us alone.

"No, you shouldn't have but you did and I've forgiven you. I should have listened to you," I sobbed as he tightened his arm around me. "Instead of trying to prove how tough I was, I should have listened to you."

"You couldn't let them see you fall apart. I know that now, but, Bell, I loved you. I was afraid I was going to lose you," He sobbed softly.

"I loved you too. I still do in a way. You're my best friend, Car. You won't ever lose me again," I whispered. "I can't lose you now that I have you back."

"You won't," he whispered. "Esme, Izzy, Edward and I are here for you always."

"Thank you, Carlisle, for everything," I whispered.

"You're welcome," He said softly. I yawned. "You need to go sleep."

"I can't sleep," I whispered.

"Honey, you and Edward have been up for nearly three days. Go sleep. I'm covering the night shift," said Carlisle.

"Ok," I whispered. I kissed him softly on the cheek. "I love you, Car."

"I love you, too, Bell," he whispered. I made my way out to the living room. Everyone looked up at me. I went over to Edward and held my hand out.

"Let's go to bed," I whispered. He gave me a soft smile as he placed his hand in mine.

"Let's go to bed," he whispered.

He stood up and wrapped his arm around me as we walked out of the room. I heard Garrett and Ben whispering to the others but I was to tired to care about it tonight. Edward and I made our way up the stairs to my bedroom.

As soon as the door to our room was closed Edward had me pinned to the door. He kissed me hard as his hands explore my body. He pulled my shirt off and flung it across the room. I helped him pull off his shirt as his hands began to undo my jeans. I jumped out of my pants and kicks them to the side. I undid Edward's pants and pulled off his pants and boxers at the same time. I fell to my knees and took his hard cock in my mouth.

"Fuck Bella," whispered Edward as he guided my head along his stiff cock.

I squeezed and massaged his cock. I could feel him tense as he got ready to cum in my mouth. I relaxed my throat and took him deep in my throat as he shot his cum down my hot throat. He pulled me up to my feet and carried me to the bed. He ripped off my bra and panties. He laid me in the center of the bed. He kissed me hard on the lips before he made his way down to my breasts. I moaned as he pulled my hardened nipple into his mouth. He kissed his way down my body until he reached my wet core. He looked up at me and gave me his crooked smile before he pulled my legs on his shoulders. He slowly licked his lips before he plunged his tongue into my wet folds.

"Edward," I moaned as he nibbled on my clit.

I felt him slip a finger into my tight wet pussy. He pulled his finger out and thrust it back in harder. After thrusting in and out of me a few time he added another finger then another till he had three fingers thrusting in and out of me.

"Cum for me Bella," demanded Edward as he pulled my clit into his mouth.

I felt my walls quiver and clench down on Edward's fingers as I came hard. I pulled a pillow over my face as I screamed out his name. Edward kissed his way up my body till he reached my lips. He crushed his lips to mine as he positioned himself at my core. He slowly pushed into me. We moaned into each others mouths as we met each other's thrusts. Our bodies moved in unison as we both climaxed together. We rolled over and kissed each other softly. Edward pulled me into his arms and held me as we fell asleep.

* * *

**So now you know more about Carlisle. Does it help? Let me know:)**


	21. Chapter 21

I woke up a few hours later. Edward was still sleeping. He looked so peaceful and relaxed. I slowly climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom and took a shower. I dried off and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I was making my way downstairs when I heard Charlie and Izzy playing in her room. I went over and stood outside the door and listened.

"Charlie, are you Bella's daddy?" asked Izzy.

"Yes," said Charlie. "Do you love Bella?"

"Yes, she's my bestest friend ever," said Izzy. "Why are you mad at her?"

"I'm not, sweetheart. I'm just worried because her work is very scary," said Charlie.

"But she stopped the monster from hurting me. She's a superhero," said Izzy.

"She is?" asked Charlie.

"Yes, because if she wasn't there that man would have taken me away from my Mommy and Daddy. She stopped him. She said she will always stop all the monsters from hurting me," said Izzy. I let a tear fall down my face. "And she so pretty."

"She is beautiful," whispered Charlie. "Does she do a lot of things with you?"

"Yes, she took me to lunch with my Uncle Eddie. She took me to the zoo. She sings me sleep when I am scared. I love her," whispered Izzy.

"I'm glad she has you, Izzy," whispered Charlie.

"Charlie?" whispered Izzy.

"Yes, sweetheart?" asked Charlie.

"Will you be my grandpa?" she whispered. I smiled softly.

"Don't you have a grandpa?" asked Charlie.

"I have Nana and Papa but I heard Daddy telling Mommy that he wished his Daddy loved him the way you love my Bella," whispered Izzy. "I think you should be his Daddy. Then you could be my grandpa."

"I would love to be your grandpa, sweetheart," whispered Charlie.

"Does that mean you will be my Daddy's Daddy?" whispered Izzy.

"Yes, sweetheart," whispered Charlie. I wiped my tears off and walked into Izzy's bedroom. She and Charlie were sitting at a small table having a tea party. Charlie had a feather boa and sun hat on. I barely was able to control my chuckle as he looked up at me and his eyes widened. "Don't start, Isabella."

"She likes to be called Bella," sighed Izzy. I chuckled and shot Charlie a look.

"Yeah, Grandpa," I chuckled. His eyes narrowed at me. "Izzy, where's your Mommy and Daddy?"

"They are in the command room," said Izzy, rolling her eyes. "They were kissing again."

"Ok, sweetheart," I chuckled as I kissed her forehead. "You have a nice tea party with Grandpa."

"Ok, Auntie Bella," she said. She turned to Charlie, who was glaring at me. "Grandpa, do you want some more tea?"

"Yes, sweetheart," chuckled Charlie as his glare melted instantly.

I just chuckled as I made my way downstairs to the command room. I walked in to find Carlisle, Garrett, Ben, Emmett and Jasper whispering to each other. They stopped talking as soon as I walked in. I rolled my eyes and went and sat down.

"Just say it," I said looking at them.

"You and Edward," said Garrett.

"What about us?" I asked.

"It's not right," said Ben.

"Why not?" asked Edward as he came in. "Have we let it effect our work?"

"No, but-" started Ben.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem," said Edward.

"How are you going to handle it when he comes after her?" asked Garrett. Edward's jaw tightened. "See, you can't even think it without getting tense."

"Can you?" asked Carlisle.

"No but I'm not fucking her," said Garrett. I slammed my hands on the table and stood up.

"I am so fucking tired of my sex life being the subject of conversation here," I snapped. "Here's the deal. Edward and I are together. We are going to be together forever. We loved each other and I will not give him up. Fucking deal with it already and move on. We have more important things to worry about like James Sanders, goddamn it."

I turned and made my way out of the command center. I went out to the gym and strapped on my boxing gloves. I turned on some music and began punching the bag. I needed to get my frustrations out. I was tired of everyone assuming that I was just a whore. It was getting really fucking old. The music got turned off and I turned to see Garrett and Ben standing there.

"What got something else to say?" I snapped.

"Yeah," said Garrett. "We're sorry."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we didn't mean to hurt you," said Ben. I just shook my head.

"You know what's funny?" I chuckled. "When a male cop comes in the next morning talking about the woman he fucked in the bathroom at the bar the night before you all slap him on the back and tell him what a fucking stud he is. When a woman cop has sex with someone you call her a slut or a whore."

"We never called you a slut or a whore," said Garrett. I rolled my eyes. "We don't give a shit about your sex life as long as you aren't fucking up our team."

"So you think I am making my rounds. First, Carlisle, then Edward," I said.

"No," said Ben. "But our team has to be able to count on each other. What happens if you and Edward don't make it?"

"You can count on me," I said, looking up at them. "Look, I care about all of you despite the fact that you all are a bunch of assholes. You're my family, ok? I won't let anyone hurt my family."

"I really hope not, Bella," said Garrett.

He and Ben turned and left me alone in the gym again. I just sighed as I went over and sat down on the mats. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my head in them. I felt someone come over and sit down next to me. I looked over to see Esme sitting there.

"Ignore them, Bella," she said.

"How can I do that?" I asked. "They have no idea how much I need Edward. When he holds me, I don't feel like James can get to me. I feel safe with him."

"That's good, Bella, because you can't let the pain to that place again," whispered Esme. I let out a strangled sob.

"I'm so scared, Esme. I think if he finds me this time, he is going to kill me," I sobbed. She pulled me into her arms. "I'm so fucking scared."

"I know you are, Bella," she whispered through her tears. "I am too. So is Car and Edward and the others. None of us want to lose you."

"What if I can't stop him?" I whispered. "What if he hurts one of you because I can't stop him?"

"I don't know, Bell. I hope and pray that we can stop him but I just don't know," she whispered.

"I had better get back in there before they find another reason to think I am destroying their team," I whispered.

"Just give them some time," she whispered.

I gave her a hug and went back inside the house. Charlie and Renee were sitting in the kitchen when I came in. They both looked up at me. I went over and sat down next to Charlie.

"When Carlisle, Esme and Izzy came to New York to see me a few months ago, we were at Rockefeller center when a man swooped Izzy up and tried to take off with her. I ran after him and beat the shit out of him for touching my Izzy. Carlisle and Esme were a mess. Izzy was terrified because Carlisle and Esme had already taught her about the monsters. When we got back to my apartment that night, she had nightmares all night until I went in and held her. I sang her the song you use to sing to me, Dad. That is why I am a cop. If I can save just one little girl like Izzy from being a victim, then I have done my job," I whispered through my tears. "Carlisle needs you both more than you will ever realize. He and Esme stopped me from hurting myself after the attack. I owe them my life."

I got up and made my way to the command center. Everyone looked up at me but I just wiped my tears off and pulled out the case file we have on James and started going through it all again. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

"Garrett, Ben, have either of you ever hurt so much that you couldn't bare the thought of going through another day?" I asked as I looked at the file.

"No," they both said.

"What did you do before you came to the team?" I asked, looking at them.

"I worked in major case," said Garrett.

"I came from homicide," said Ben. "Why?"

"How long have you both been cops?" I asked, ignoring Ben's questions.

"I have five years on the job," said Ben.

"I have eight," said Garrett. "Why?"

"In all your years, how many times did you have to sit in an examination room and hold the hand of a woman who had just been raped while the doctor's performed a rape kit?" I asked.

"Never," they both said.

"How many times were you sent to speak to a little girl when she told her teacher how her daddy held her down and raped her the night before?" I asked.

"Never," they both said.

"Emmett, Jasper, how about you?" I asked.

"Never," they both said. I looked up at Edward.

"Me either," whispered Edward.

"Carlisle?" I asked, giving him a soft smile.

"639 times," he whispered. "You?"

"2394," I said. I picked up the case file and made my way to the door. I stopped and turned to the others who were just watching me. "It's funny isn't it that when they needed a woman to help get a victim to talk the boys never had a problem with me being a cop but as soon as they got what they needed, I was just a distraction to the rest of the team."

I turned and made my way out to Charlie's study. I sat down at his desk and fired up his computer. I tried to find as much information about James Sanders as I could but I couldn't find anything. Something about this whole case was off. What drove him from merely raping women to killing them? I got up and made my way back into the command room.

"Carlisle, do you have the case files from his rape victims in New York?" I asked as I came in. Everyone just looked up at me.

"Yeah, right here. Why?" he asked. I took the files and started looking through them.

"It's never made sense for him to be the perp. I know he is but his juvi record was clean, not even a bad mark on his report card. So what made James Sanders decide to start raping women six years ago?" I asked.

"Bell, his stepfather did kill his mother in front of him," said Carlisle.

"Ok, but that was six years before he committed the first rape," I said. "Look, all of his victims in New York had long brown hair, brown eyes and were graduate students at NYU."

"So?" asked Emmett.

"So, maybe this has nothing to do with me," I said.

"It has everything to do with you," said Charlie. I turned and looked at him. He was standing at the door looking at the picture of James Sanders we had on the board. "You've known him your entire life, Isabella."

"What?" I asked. "No, I haven't."

"James Brandon Philips Sanders."

* * *

**And the plot thickens! **


	22. Chapter 22

"James Brandon Philips Sanders," said Charlie. My mouth fell open.

"He's Brandon Philips?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Charlie. "His mother Victoria married Laurent Sanders six months after she left here and divorced his father. Laurent adopted him which is why his name is Sanders now."

"Ok, so you think he's trying to get back at you by going through me?" I asked.

"No, I think he's obsessed with you still," said Charlie.

"Still?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, Brandon Philips was ten when his father nearly beat him and his mother to death. He went to school the next day and Isabella noticed the bruises. She came home and told me about them. I went and arrested his father after his mother admitted that he had beat them. I sent them to Arizona to get a fresh start. We had to erase their past so his father couldn't find them. When we cleared out his room, we found letters he had written to Isabella and pictures of her in his room. He was obsessed with her," said Charlie, looking at his feet.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" I snapped. He snapped his head up at me.

"You were six years old, Isabella. You didn't need to know. He never made any effort to contact you after he left so I assumed he got over you," snapped Charlie.

"I deserved to know," I snapped.

"I deserved to know a lot of things too," snapped Charlie before he stormed out.

"Bell, calm down," said Carlisle. I took a deep breath. "That was twenty years ago. How would he have even found you again?"

"He was a military man. He would know how to track down anyone," said Emmett.

"Do we know what he did in the marines?" asked Garrett, looking through the case files.

"No, his records are closed," said Carlisle. I closed my eyes. "Bell."

"I know," I grumbled, pulling out my cell phone. "You owe me big time for this."

"I know," he chuckled. I just rolled my eyes as I made the call.

"Pentagon, how may I direct your call?" answered a woman.

"I need to speak to Admiral Stevens. Tell him it's Isabella," I said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Hold please," she said. Carlisle pulled the phone from my hands and put it on speakerphone. I just glared at him while he chuckled.

"Bellarina!" exclaimed Admiral Stevens.

"Hello, sir. How are you?" I asked. I could feel my face turn red as the others chuckled silently.

"I'm excellent. How are you?" he asked.

"I'm great," I lied.

"Liar," he chuckled.

"I've been better, sir," I chuckled.

"Well, Bellarina, what can I do for you today?" he asked.

"Sir, I need to schedule some time to come see you," I said.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I am busy for the next two weeks," he said. I closed my eyes.

"Uncle Eleazar, it's important," I said softly. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

"Are you asking me officially?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, I am, but it's also personnel," I said. "It effects her, sir."

"Has she been hurt?" he whispered.

"No, sir, and I trying to keep it that way," I said softly.

"When can you get here?" he asked.

"I can be there tonight," I said.

"Ok, Isabella, come to the house. Can you tell me what you need?" he asked.

"I need the service records of an ex-marine," I said slowly. I heard him inhale deeply. "I know it's a lot to ask. I will explain when I see you."

"Ok, can you give me a name?" he asked.

"James Sanders," I said.

"I'll have it ready," said Eleazar. "Will you be bringing friends?"

"Yes, sir," I said, giving Emmett and Jasper a look. They just nodded their head and went to get their stuff ready.

"Ok, Isabella. I'll see you tonight. Take care of her," he whispered.

"I will, sir," I whispered before I hung up. I looked up at Carlisle and Edward, who were both glaring at me. "You both need to stay here."

"No, I don't," they both said.

"I need you to stay here and take care of everyone," I said, giving them both a look. "Please?"

"So fucking stubborn," muttered Carlisle. "Fine, but you had better be careful."

"I always am," I said. I turned and looked at Edward. "Please, Edward?"

"Fine," he whispered. "But if you let anything happen to yourself, I am going to be so fucking pissed."

"I know," I whispered. I pulled his ear down to my lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered. "Come back to me."

"I promise," I whispered. I turned and pressed my lips to his.

I pulled away and ran out of the room. I ran upstairs and grabbed my gun, badge, and jacket. I went back downstairs. Emmett and Jasper were standing by the front door with Rose and Alice in their arms. I went over to Charlie and Renee.

"You'll be safe while I am gone," I said, not meeting their eyes.

"You're going to see him?" whispered Renee.

"Yes," I whispered.

"He's ok?" she sobbed softly.

"Yes," I whispered. "He misses you.

"I miss him too," Renee whispered.

"It's not too late," I whispered. "You can get him back."

"Maybe," she whispered. "You had better go. Be careful, Isabella."

"I always am, Mom. I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," she whispered. She hugged me and I turned to Charlie.

"Be nice to him while I'm gone," I said.

"I will," said Charlie. "Be careful, Isabella. Just...be careful."

"I will, Dad. I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," he whispered as he hugged me.

I pulled away and made my way to the front door. Rose and Alice were standing there with tears in their eyes. I pulled my sister's in my arms and hugged them. I pulled away and went outside. Emmett and Jasper followed me. I walked to the car when I felt Edward come running up to me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me hard. I wrapped my arms around his neck an pushed my tongue into his mouth. I pulled away an stroked his cheek.

"I'm coming back. I promise," I whispered through my tears.

"You had better," he whispered. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too," I whispered.

I kissed him again and got in the back seat of the car. I wiped the tears off and Emmett pulled the car out of the drive way and we headed to the airport. We climbed out and boarded our plane. The plane took off to Washington D.C.

"Bella, you really love him, don't you?" asked Jasper. I looked up at him and felt the tears building again.

"Yes," I whispered. "He makes me feel safe. I haven't felt safe since I was with Carlisle. I need Edward."

"How did you and Carlisle get together?" asked Emmett. "You don't seem like his type."

"I probably not," I chuckled. "When I was given a spot on special crimes, it didn't go over too well with any of the boys, including Carlisle. He wasn't exactly happy about having me as a partner. He wasn't in a good place. He drank a lot and he was quite the hot head. We had been working together for about a month when we got this call. This woman was riding the subway home from work one night when she was gang raped by at least ten men. The subway was empty so nobody saw anything. We went and talked to her and she refused to press charges. We processed the scene. Did everything by the book so I went home. About 1 am, I was woken up by someone beating the shit out of my front door. So I pulled my gun and went and answered the door. It was Carlisle. He was smashed. He could barely walk. I dragged him into my apartment and poured several cups of coffee down his throat. We spent the night talking. The woman had gone home and killed herself in front of her son. Carlisle had a hard time handling it. So I just talked to him. I told him about my family and schooling and everything. He told me about his life. We were friends after that. I helped him get sober. About a month later, he was over at my apartment for dinner. He came over all the time because we didn't have anyone else. We were watching a movie when he gently pushed my hair behind my ear and leaned in and kissed me. I kissed him back. From that moment on we were together."

"How long were you together?" asked Jasper.

"Nearly a year," I said softly.

"Did you love him?" asked Jasper.

"Yes," I said with a smile. "I loved him so much. He was my first everything. It was so hard for me growing up. He made me feel beautiful and wanted. I hadn't ever felt that before."

"Why was it hard?" asked Emmett.

"Because I lost my family when I went college," I whispered. "Rose and Alice hated me for being so smart. The kids in our school teased them about their baby sister being so much smarter than they were. I was fourteen and living in New York alone. Charlie and Renee were mad at me for choosing to go to New York for school but I hate Forks. I wanted to get as far away from there as I could. Rose and Alice didn't understand me. I missed out on a lot of their lives because I was stubborn. Even after the attack, I was so ashamed that I didn't come to see them. Carlisle and Esme saved my life when I was ready to give up. They are my best friends. The only people, other than Edward, that I can trust with how I really feel."

"You can trust us, Bella," said Jasper.

"No, I can't because you, Emmett, Garrett and Ben don't understand how scared I really am everyday. You don't get why I need Carlisle. Edward and Esme get it," I said.

"How can you forgive him for leaving you like that?" whispered Emmett. I looked up at him.

"How much of Carlisle's life do you know about?" I asked.

"None," said Emmett.

"I know everything. Carlisle was scared when I got attacked. It brought a lot back for him. I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't pissed and hurt that he left me but he needed help. I couldn't help him then. Besides, he came back just in time," I whispered as I closed my eyes.

"Just in for what?" whispered Jasper.

"In time to stop me from killing myself," I sobbed. I pulled my knees up and buried my head in them. "I was sitting in a corner in my bedroom when Carlisle and Esme came back. He still had his key. They came in and I had my gun pressed against my forehead. I just wanted to stop it from hurting. I was tired of the stares at work. I was tired of feeling him on me every time I tried to sleep. I just wanted to go back and be happy again. Carlisle came over and sat down next to me and we cried together. He told me I had to let it go. I said I don't know how cause the monster was always there. Esme came over and Carlisle pulled the gun from my hand. She held me while I cried in her lap all night. Can you imagine how hard it was for her to come to her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's apartment and have her breakdown because he left her? She and I spent the next day together and I let it all out. I knew I had to let Carlisle go. He deservs her. He's a really great guy. They left and I pushed through it all. I would call and talk to Esme when I needed help. She would just sit and listen to me rant and rave. Carlisle and I talked some but it was still strained between us. Then they had Izzy. They asked me to be her godmother. I flew to Seattle when she was born. I walked into Esme's room. Carlisle was sitting on the bed with Esme, who had Izzy in her arms. It hit me. They were perfect. Esme and Izzy gave Carlisle his family back. I forgave him. I love that little girl. She is so pure and so innocent. She gave me hope."

"Hope for what?" whispered Jasper through his tears. I looked up at him and Emmett.

"Did you know that when Carlisle and Esme brought her to New York to offer me the job that she was almost kidnapped?" I asked.

"No," said Jasper.

"Yeah, a man tried to take her from Rockerfeller Center. I beat the shit out of him for touching her. We took her back to my apartment and she was terrified because Carlisle and Esme had already told her about men like him. I went in and laid down with her. She fell back to sleep. I was almost asleep when she whispered 'my Bella is my hero.' I knew then that I had to take this job. I had to keep to gong," I explained.

"How did you work special crimes?" asked Emmett. "How could you stand to see all that?"

"If I didn't who was going to help them?" I asked.

"I know but how do you not let it effect you?" he asked.

"I don't. Every time I had to get details from a victim was so hard but they needed someone to tell. They need someone to make them feel safe," I explained. "It's what I needed when I was attacked. It's what I can do for those like me that don't have anyone else."

"We're really lucky to have you on our team, Bella," said Emmett. I looked up at him. "You're a great cop and I know we can count on you."

"I'm glad you and Edward have each other," said Jasper. I looked up at them both.

"Thank you," I said. "That means a lot to me."

**

* * *

**

**Well, at least Emmett and Jasper understand a little more about Bella. Please go check out timidvampire's stories Leading Me to Comfot and Trust. They are both really amazing stories!**


	23. Chapter 23

We spent the rest of the flight going over the case files on our rape victims from New York. Our plane landed in D.C. and we made our way out to our rental car. I climbed in behind the wheel and we took off. Twenty minutes later, I pulled up in front of a large white house. I turned off the car and stopped Emmett and Jasper before they got out.

"There's something you should know about Admiral Stevens," I said.

"Ok," said Jasper.

"As I'm sure you've figured out, he's my uncle. He's Renee's brother. They had a bit of falling out so don't mention her. I'll handle it," I explained.

"What did they fight about?" asked Emmett.

"Me," I said. "Eleazar and Carmen, his wife, were the ones who convinced me to go to NYU. He gave me a recommendation for the academy. Charlie and Renee blame them for my career in law enforcement."

We climbed out of the car and made our way up to the front door. I rang the doorbell. A few minutes later, the door was pulled open by a tall, dark haired woman with black eyes. She smiled and opened her arms to me. I just chuckled as I wrapped my arms around her.

"Isabella, darling, you look fabulous," chuckled Carmen.

"Thank you, Aunt Carmen," I chuckled. "So do you. I love the new hair. It's very now."

"Thank you, darling," she chuckled. "Please come on."

"Thank you," I said as Emmett, Jasper and I came in. "Aunt Carmen, this is Emmett McCarty and Jasper Whitlock. Boys, this is my lovely Aunt Carmen Stevens."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Stevens," said Emmett.

"Please call me Carmen," she chuckled before she looked back at me. "He's waiting for you in his office."

"Thanks," I said.

Emmett, Jasper, and I made our way down the long hallway to Eleazar's office. I took a deep breathe and knocked on the door.

"Come in, Bellarina," chuckled Eleazar. Emmett and Jasper started to chuckled until I turned my glare on them. I opened the door and saw the tall light haired man sitting behind his desk. "You look like shit, my dear."

"It's lovely to see you too, Admiral," I chuckled as I went around and hugged him. "Been a shitty few days."

"I would expect so," said Eleazar.

"Admiral Eleazar Stevens, I would like you to meet Emmett McCarty and Jasper Whitlock," I said. "Boys, this is the Admiral."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," said Jasper, shaking his hand.

"Thank you for seeing us so late," said Emmett, shaking his hand.

"Anything for my Bellarina," he chuckled. I rolled my eyes.

"I have asked you to stop calling me that," I scolded.

"I don't listen," chuckled Eleazar. "Now explain why you are here."

"Ok," I said as we sat down. "He's back."

"The man who attacked you in New York?" asked Eleazar sharply.

"Yes, it turns out the his name is James Sanders. He is also responsible for eight murders," I explained.

"He's an ex-marine?" asked Eleazar.

"Yes, sir. I recognized this tattoo behind his ear when he attacked me six years ago," I said, handing Eleazar the photo.

"Why didn't you tell me that one of my men attacked you, Isabella?" scolded Eleazar.

"I knew you would go after him. I couldn't let you get hurt. You and Carmen are all I had," I said, avoiding Emmett and Jasper's eyes.

"You have them, Isabella. You chose not to include them," said Eleazar.

"So do you," I said.

"That's different," said Eleazar. He handed me the personal file. "Here is what you were looking for. James Sanders was dishonorably discharged after he attacked a female solder when he came back to active duty."

"Why the sudden change in behavior?" I asked as I looked through the file.

"We don't know. He came back from New York, where he was attending NYU. He was in the reserves by then. He was the perfect solder until he came back from school. Suddenly, he was moody, disrespectful. Then one night he snuck into the woman's room and raped her. We couldn't prove it was him but all the clues pointed to him so we discharged him," explained Eleazar.

"Fuck," I muttered as I handed the file to Jasper. "He was at NYU at the same time I was."

"What?" asked Jasper. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Seth.

"Clearwater."

"Hey, Seth, it's Bella," I said.

"Bella, you doing ok?" asked Seth.

"Yeah, listen, I need a favor," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"I need you to get me the student file from NYU of James Sanders," I said.

"Bella, you know they won't give that to us," said Seth.

"I know. I need you to get it for me," I said.

"You are going to owe me so many favors," chuckled Seth. "I can hack into their system. When can you be here to get the info?"

"A couple hours," I said.

"I'll have it ready," said Seth.

"Thanks, Seth," I said.

"Anything for you, Bell," said Seth. I hung up the phone and looked at Emmett and Jasper.

"We need to get to New York, I said.

"No," said Emmett. I turned and looked at him. "It's not safe."

"Em, just trust me," I said.

"Bella, Carlisle will have my ass," said Emmett.

"I will handle, Carlisle," I snapped.

"God, you are so fucking stubborn," muttered Emmett. "Fine but you make the call."

"I will." I said. I turned back to Eleazar. "Sorry we can't stay longer."

"It's ok. Tell Carlisle and Esme that we said hello," said Eleazar.

"I will," I said as I stood up. "She misses you."

"She does?" he asked.

"Yes, this might be a good time to reach out to her," I said softly.

"Maybe," said Eleazar. "I love you, kid."

"I love you too, old man. Thanks again for the help," I said.

"You're welcome. Emmett, Jasper, keep my niece safe," said Eleazar.

"We will, sir," said Jasper.

I just rolled my eyes as they followed me out of the house. We got into our car and headed to the airport. I pulled out my cell phone and called Carlisle.

"Bell, what'd you get?" he asked.

"You're not going to like this but it turns out that he was at NYU with me," I said. "He was dishonorably discharged after he raped a female solder when he came back to active duty."

"They just let him out on the streets to hurt other girls?" he snapped.

"They didn't have any solid proof," I explained.

"Are you on your way to the airport?" asked Carlisle.

"Yeah," I said.

"Bella, tell me your not doing what I know you are doing," snapped Carlisle.

"We need the information," I said.

"Then we will get a warrant," snapped Carlisle.

"We don't have time or cause for one. Seth is handling it," I said.

"You're going to New York, aren't you?" snapped Carlisle.

"Yes," I said. I heard the phone get pulled away from him.

"Are you fucking crazy?" snapped Edward.

"No but thanks for asking. Look, we need this information," I said.

"Then we will get it another way but you don't need to be back in the city," snapped Edward.

"Edward, I will be fine. Emmett and Jasper are with me. It's going to be fine," I said.

"It had better be," he whispered. "Fine, just be careful."

"I will. I promise," I said. "Look, I've got to go. We need to board the plane. I'll be back soon."

"Ok, I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," I whispered.

I hung up the phone. The three of us got out of the car and loaded onto the plane. I spent the plane ride reading through James personnel file. He was a good marine. Highly skilled and decorated. Something about his time in New York had to have set something off in him. I just couldn't believe this was all about me. We landed in New York. We walked off the plane and made our way out to our rental car. We climbed in and I drove us over to Seth's apartment. We made our way up to the fifth floor and I knocked on the door. Seth pulled the door open with a toothless six month old in his arms.

"We didn't wake Cora, did we?" I asked.

"No, she doesn't like to sleep," chuckled Seth. Tanya came in with a bottle in her hand.

"Bella!" She squealed as she came over and hugged me.

"Tanya, how are you?" I chuckled. "You look great."

"Thanks, tying to get those last five baby pounds off has been hard," chuckled Tanya. "I'm going back to the job next week."

"Are you sure your ready?" I asked.

"Yeah, Cora will be fine with Seth's mom," said Tanya. Emmett and Jasper both cleared their throat.

"Emmett McCarty and Jasper Whitlock, this is Tanya Clearwater," I said. "Tanya, this is Emmett and Jasper. We are all on the same team."

"Oh," said Tanya, giving me a look. I nodded my head at her. "It's, um, nice to meet you."

"You too, Tanya," said Emmett. "Cora's a beauty."

"That she is," said Tanya, taking the baby from Seth. "So you're the assholes that have been giving Bella a hard time about Carlisle."

"Tanya," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Yes, we are but we've stopped," said Jasper.

"Good. I would hate for you to lose a good cop like her because you are scared," said Tanya.

"Scared of what?" asked Emmett.

"That a woman is a better cop than you," smirked Tanya. I bit my lip to hide my chuckle. Seth, on the other hand, laughed freely.

"We aren't scared of that," said Emmett.

"Bullshit, Emmett," smirked Tanya.

"How would you know?" asked Emmett.

"Em, Tanya was my partner on special crimes until she went on maternity leave," I said.

"Oh," said Emmett. Tanya just chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, Emmett. We're used to assholes," chuckled Tanya. "I'll let you get to work, babe."

"Thanks, Baby," chuckled Seth. Tanya just chuckled as she took Cora into their bedroom. "So I got his information for you but you aren't going to like it."

"Why not?" I asked. He handed me James' class records. "Fucking shit."

"I know. You didn't know him?" asked Seth.

"No, I had no idea but I mean our classes were 50 plus people," I said.

"What is it?" asked Jasper.

"James was in most of the same graduate courses with me during my last year of grad school. It looks like our boy has a degree in forensic science," I explained.

"Which explained why he knows how to keep his crime scene clean," said Emmett. "You didn't know him?"

"No but I was taking twice the load as everyone else. I barely had time to breath much less notice people," I explained.

"Bell, look, you need to go to talk to him," said Seth. I narrowed my eyes at him. "He may be an ass but he might know what set James off on you."

"Fuck" I muttered. "I know."

"Who?" asked Jasper. I looked up at him as I pulled out my cell phone.

"Carlisle's father."

* * *

**Thanks for all the amazing reviews! I love each and everyone of them!**


	24. Chapter 24

"Carlisle's father," I said. I went into the kitchen and dialed Carlisle.

"Bell," said Carlisle.

"So it turns out that James and I were in a few classes together my last year of grad school," I said.

"Fuck," muttered Carlisle. "You have to go talk to him, don't you?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"I don't like it," whispered Carlisle.

"I don't either but we have too," I whispered.

"Ok but then you come back. You understand me, Bella?" whispered Carlisle.

"I promise," I whispered.

"Be careful, whispered Carlisle before he hung up. I went back out into the living room.

"Let's go," I said before I turned to Seth. "Seth, thanks."

"You're welcome, Bella. You need me to go with you?" he asked.

"No, we've got this. Take care of that wife and baby of yours," I said, giving him a hug. "Give Tanya a kiss for me."

"I will," said Seth. Emmett, Jasper and I made our way outside and out to the car.

"Ok, so what's the deal with Carlisle's father?" asked Emmett.

"He was one of my professors at NYU," I said.

"Ok, so why is this bad?" asked Jasper.

"After Carlisle and I started seeing each other, we ran into him one day. He made a few moments about Carlisle and I might have beat the shit out of him," I said.

"What kind of comments?" asked Jasper.

"Look, it's not my story to tell but I will say this, Carlisle has had to work through a lot of pain. His father didn't help the situation," I said as I drove over to his apartment.

We pulled up in front and climbed out. I went over and pushed the buzzer several times. A few minutes later, he finally answered.

"Who the fuck is this?" he snapped.

"Open the fucking door, Aro," I snapped.

"What'd that fucker do to you now?" he snapped.

"Open the fucking door or I will fucking call the dean and tell him about your special student," I snapped. He buzzed the door open. "That was easy."

Emmett and Jasper just chuckled as they followed me up to the fourth floor. I banged on Aro's door until he finally pulled it open. He looked like shit. His normal slick black hair was sticking up in several directions. He had bags under his eyes.

"You look like shit," I snapped.

"You do too," he snapped. "Get the fuck in here."

"You drinking still?" I asked as we walked in.

"What if I am?" he asked.

"It's your liver," I snapped.

"What the fuck do you want?" he asked.

"I need to know what set James Sanders off six years ago," I asked. Aro's eyes widen slightly.

"I don't know who you are talking about," he said as he shifted his eyes away from me.

"Don't fucking lie to me," I snapped. "You may not give a shit about him but his wife and child are in danger."

"They are?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Good, then maybe he will know I felt," snapped Aro as he poured himself another drink. I grabbed the glass and smashed it to the floor. I grabbed him and dragged him into the kitchen and stuck his head under the water. I pulled him back out.

"You son of a bitch. He was just a kid. He had no choice and you fucking well know it," I snapped.

"If he hadn't begged her to take him to that movie, they wouldn't have been there. She would still be here," snapped Aro.

"But she's not. You made your feeling about Carlisle perfectly clear, Aro, but Esme and Izzy are innocent. They don't deserve this anymore than he and Sulpicia did," I said.

"I know," he sobbed as he fell to the ground. I knelt down next to him. "I should have been able to protect them both. I failed him and I failed her."

"It's not your fault, Aro. Those men are to blame. You have to let it go. It's been twenty years," I said softly.

"She's all I had. I miss her everyday. I miss him everyday," he whispered.

"I know you do. I wish that you could get him back but I don't think you can. He's happy now. He's in a good place," I whispered.

"He is?" asked Aro.

"Yes," I whispered. "We are trying to keep them safe but I need your help."

"James Sanders?" asked Aro.

"Yes," I said. We settle onto the floor.

"James was an excellent student. He was almost as brilliant as you are. He always seemed to be in your classes but he never made an effort to talk to you. I saw him watching you but I didn't think anything about it. Then it was time for you to graduate. It was between you and him for top honor. You won. He didn't like it. He came storming in my office one day and demanded that I give him a better grade so he would be top student. I refused. He accused me of having an affair with you which I denied. He said you always had it easy. He said you got everything you wanted. He stormed out of my office. I didn't think about it again until I heard that he had attacked you. So I did some digging. It turns out that you knew James as a child-"

"I know that already," I said. "You're saying that he is after me because I was top student and he wasn't?"

"No, I did more research and found more information on him and his mother. Did you know that she and your father were high school sweethearts?"

"What?" I asked.

"Yes," said Aro. He got up and went into his office and brought me a file. "His parent's didn't approve of her and refused to allow them to be together once they graduated. Charlie went to college and nine months later, James was born."

"No," I said. "That's not possible."

"I think you will find it is possible when you get James hospital records from Forks," smirked Aro.

"Why did you look in to this?" I asked.

"Because you are important to my son. Even though I can't……I don't like to see him hurting. I just never had the courage to give him this information," said Aro.

"Are you sure that what you found out is true?" I asked.

"Yes," said Aro. I got up and turned to Emmett and Jasper, who looked surprised.

"Let's go," I said.

"Bella-" started Aro.

"Don't bother," I said.

Emmett and Jasper followed me out to the car. We climbed in and drove to the airport. I sent Carlisle and Edward a text letting them know we were on our way back. We boarded the plane and I went and took a seat in the back. Emmett and Jasper seemed to know that I needed this time alone. Was it possible that James Sanders was my half brother? Did Charlie and Renee know about this? I was so confused and so hurt that they had lied to us about so much.

Eight hours later the plane landed in Forks. It was just after 7am. Emmett, Jasper and I had been awake for nearly two days. We unloaded off the plane and we got into the car but instead of heading to the house, I drove us to the hospital.

"What are you doing, Bella?" asked Emmett.

"I have to know," I said as I climbed out.

"Bella, you can't do this," said Jasper. I turned and looked at him.

"I have to know," I said.

"Ok, Bella," said Jasper.

"Let's go," said Emmett.

Neither of them looked very happy as we made our way into the hospital. I led them to the admissions office. I smiled inwardly when I saw Mr. Banner was still working here. He was about seventy years old. I used to come down here and beg him to let me read the files. He always did. I went up to the desk and gave him a big smile.

"What do you want, Bella?" chuckled Mr. Banner.

"I need a few minutes in the record room," I said.

"You know I can't do that," he sighed.

"Mr. Banner, we both know you can. This is very important. Please," I said.

"You are such a pain in the ass," he grumbled. "Fine, go, be happy."

"Thanks, Handsome," I chuckled. Emmett and Jasper both followed me into the records room.

"Handsome?" asked Emmett with a chuckle.

"It makes him feel good," I chuckled. "When I was little, he would let me come in and read the records."

"You've always been nosy," chuckled Jasper.

"That I have," I said as I stopped at the P's. I quickly found Brandon Philip's file. I flipped it open and read through it. "Fuck."

"It's true?" asked Jasper.

"Yeah," I whispered.

I put the file up and walked out of the records room. I kissed Mr. Banner on the forehead, making him chuckle. Emmett and Jasper followed me out to the car. We got in and I drove us back to the house quickly. I pulled into the drive way and jumped out of the car. I was so fucking pissed. I ran into the house with Emmett and Jasper following me. I went into the kitchen and found everyone but Esme and Izzy sitting in the kitchen. They all looked up at me as I went over and punched Charlie in the face. He fell backwards out of his chair.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH. HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL US?" I screamed as I lunged for him again. Edward came over and pulled me back.

"How did you find out?" asked Charlie as he tried to stop his nose from bleeding.

"How the fuck do you think?" I snapped through my tears. "You have should have told us."

"I couldn't tell you," said Charlie.

"When?" I snapped. "When did you know?"

"After I sent his father away. She told me but I didn't believe her. So we did a paternity test. I'm his father but after we found all the letters and photo's I couldn't have him around you," said Charlie.

"You're who's father?" asked Alice.

"James Sanders," I said. "Charlie and his mother, Victoria, were high school sweethearts. He knocked her up and left her."

"That is not what happened," snapped Charlie. "We broke up after I found her fucking another man. I didn't know that he was mine until after they left."

"Dad, you have a son and you never told us?" asked Rose.

"Yes," said Charlie.

"How could you?" asked Rose. "We deserved to know."

"Mom, did you know?" asked Alice.

"Yes," said Renee.

"How could you not tell us?" snapped Alice.

"We were afraid that he would hurt Isabella," whispered Renee.

"Well, guess what? He did. He knows, doesn't he?" I asked.

"Yes," said Charlie. "They contacted me when his mother was killed when he was sixteen. I told him I couldn't be his father."

"That is just fucking great," I snapped.

"Isabella, I couldn't trust him," said Charlie.

"Well, now, I can't trust you," I said. "Why didn't you tell us this before I left for New York?"

"I was ashamed," said Charlie.

"You should be. This is important to the case. Did you ever think that maybe he was after me to get back at you?" I said. I turned back to the rest of the team. "Here's the stuff we gathered in Washington and New York."

I handed the stuff to Carlisle and made my upstairs to my bedroom. I shut the door behind me. I went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. I stripped out of my cloths and stepped under the water. I let my tears fall. I have a half brother that is obsessed with me and is taking it out on defenseless women. I didn't understand how Charlie and Renee couldn't have told us. I was hurt and humiliated. I turned off the water when it turned cold. I dried off and made my way back into my room. Edward was sitting on the bed.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I said softly. I went over and climbed into his lap and let my towel fall. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around me. "Are you ok?"

"No," I whispered. "I'm hurt. He lied to us for our entire lives."

"I know" whispered Edward as he kissed his way down my neck to my collar bone.

"Edward…"I moaned.

"I need you, Baby," he whispered.

"Take me," I whispered.

He flipped us so that I was laying on the bed. He pulled off his shirt and unbuttoned his jeans. He pushed his jeans and boxers down in one move. He was hard and ready for me. He climbed on me and kissed me as he pushed into me slowly. His eyes never left mine as he made love to me. I could feel so much of him. I could feel his love for me in every thrust of his hips. I felt my shake as I came hard.

"Edward," I cried out.

"I love you, Bella," he panted as he came inside of me.

"I love you too," I whispered.

Edward climbed off of me and pulled his boxers and pants on. I went over and pulled on a pair of clean panties and a bra. I pulled a pair of jeans on and grabbed a t-shirt. I pulled it over my head

as I heard Edward fall to the ground. I turned and saw James standing over him with a rag over his mouth. I turned to get my gun when he grabbed me and shoved the rag over my nose and mouth. I heard him chuckle as I fell into the darkness.

* * *

**So what do you think? Thanks for all the awesome reviews!**


	25. Chapter 25

**EPOV**

Why did my head hurt so fucking bad? I thought to myself as I woke up. I rolled over and realized I wasn't on the bed. I opened my eyes and found myself on the floor. I looked around and I knew something was wrong. Suddenly I remembered it all. Bella and I had just made love and were getting dressed when someone grabbed me and shoved a rag over my mouth. I jumped to my feet and ran downstairs to the command center. The rest of the team was in there. They all looked up at me.

"Where's Bella?" I asked.

"She was with you," said Carlisle alarmed.

"No, she's not," I said as I realized what happened. "He took her."

"WHAT?" roared Carlisle.

"We were in her room and we were getting dressed… Someone grabbed me and shoved a rag over my mouth and nose," I said as I ran my hands over my face. "It must have been James."

"Emmett, go back through the tapes and see if you know how he got past us," ordered Carlisle.

"Jasper, Ben, let's go look in her room for anything," said Garrett.

"Edward, do you remember where you were standing?" asked Ben.

"I was facing the windows on the east side. My back was to the ….closest," I said. Jasper, Ben and Garrett went running up to Bella's room.

"What the fuck is going on here?" snapped Charlie as he, Renee, Alice and Rose came running in.

"Bella's gone. We think James got into the house and took her," said Carlisle. I sat down on the chair and buried my head in my hands.

"WHAT?" roared Charlie. "HOW DID HE GET IN HERE?"

"We don't know," said Carlisle.

"The tunnel," gasped Renee. I snapped my head up.

"What fucking tunnel?" I snapped.

"The tunnel that runs under the house and into town," she said. "I forgot about it. Bella didn't know about it."

"FUCK," I yelled.

"Edward, calm down," said Carlisle. "We will get her back."

"I can't lose her," I whispered.

"I know," said Carlisle. He turned to Rose. "Rose, can you get Kate, Esme, Angela and Izzy please?"

"Sure, Carlisle," said Rose. She turned and ran out of the room.

"Alice, we need flashlights and a map of the city," said Carlisle.

"Ok," whispered Alice. She turned and ran out of the room.

"Now is there anything else you would like to tell us about James?" snapped Carlisle to Charlie.

"His father owned a cabin in the woods about twenty miles from here. That's where he used to take Victoria and James when he beat them." said Charlie. I had to fight the urge to hit him.

"You're just now telling us that?" I snapped. "That's probably where he has taken all his victims."

"I didn't know it was important," said Charlie.

"EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT," yelled Carlisle. "Bella knows that. That's what makes her a good cop. She finds out everything."

"We're going to need backup. Even with the six of us, we need more. He will be ready for us," I said as Rose, Kate, Angela, Esme and Izzy came in. Alice was right behind them.

"Ladies, I need you to go Seattle. I need you to go with Esme to her parent's and wait for us," said Carlisle.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?" asked Esme.

"He took Bella," whispered Car. They all gasped.

"Who took Auntie Bella?" whispered Izzy through her tears. Carlisle knelt down in front of her.

"A monster took Auntie Bella but me and Uncle Eddie and the others are going to find her, honey. I promise," whispered Carlisle through his tears.

"Please bring my Bella back to me, Daddy. She's my bestest friend ever," sobbed Izzy.

"I will, honey. I promise but I need you to go with Mommy," whispered Carlisle.

"Ok, Daddy," sobbed Izzy. Esme pulled the little girl up into her arms. Izzy buried her head in Esme's neck.

"Car, you bring her back. You come back to me," whispered Esme through her tears.

"I will, Baby. I promise," whispered Carlisle. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. She pulled away and came over to me.

"She'll be ok, Edward. She's a fighter," whispered Esme.

"I know she is," I whispered through my tears. "Take care of Izzy."

"I will," whispered Esme.

She carried the sobbing girl from the room. Rose, Alice, Kate, Angela and Renee followed after their own tearful goodbyes. I wiped the tears off my face and turned my attention to Emmett, Jasper, Garrett and Ben.

"Anything in the room?" I asked.

"No, it was clean. We found the access to the tunnel in her closet," said Ben, glaring at Charlie, who was looking down at his feet.

"Ok, that is how he had to have gotten in. The tapes are clear," said Emmett.

"Here's what we are going to do. Charlie, we need as many of your cops as we can get," said Carlisle.

"Ok," said Charlie pulling out his cell phone.

"Half of us are going into the tunnel and the other half will make their way down to the other end of the tunnel. From there we will make our way to the cabin," ordered Carlisle.

"I have ten officer's coming in three minutes," said Charlie.

"Ok, Charlie, I want you to take your team to the opening of the tunnel. The rest of us are going into the tunnel," said Carlisle.

"I'll be going with you," said Charlie.

"No, you won't," snapped Carlisle. "Let me make this very clear, Charlie. You've done nothing but hurt this investigation since we got here. Regardless of how you feel about me and my relationship with Bella, you should have been honest about being James' father. You should have told us about the tunnel so we could had camera's on it. This lays on your head."

"I know," whispered Charlie. He looked up at me and Carlisle. "I know you love my Bella. Please bring her home."

"We will," I said. "Let's go."

Emmett, Jasper, Ben, Garrett, Carlisle and I grabbed flashlights and made our way up the stairs to Bella's room. We made our way into her closest and started down the tunnel. I couldn't help but think about what he was doing to her right now. I should have protected her from him. I failed her.

"Edward, she's going to be ok," said Carlisle.

"You don't know that," I said.

"You have to stay strong for her," said Carlisle.

"Do you love her?" I asked.

"Yes, I do but I'm not in love with Bella anymore. She's my best friend and the only person other than Esme, that I trust with everything," said Carlisle.

"You know she loves you too," I said.

"She loves you more," said Carlisle.

"I know," I said. "I can't live without her."

"You won't have too," said Carlisle

We didn't speak anymore as we made our way through the tunnel that ran under ground through the town of Forks. Every once in awhile Emmett or Jasper would mutter under their breath about Charlie. Garrett and Ben would too. We all understood that Charlie had put Bella in danger. I don't know if it is just plain carelessness or just stupidity with Charlie and Renee. It was obvious from the moment we got there that neither of them were happy about Bella's profession.

I shook my head slightly as we made our way out of the end of the tunnel. Charlie was standing with ten men who honestly looked like they needed to spend a few hours a week in the gym.

"How far is the cabin from here, Charlie?" asked Carlisle as we went to Charlie and his team.

"About five miles south, " said Charlie. Carlisle turned to everyone.

"Listen up, our suspect is extremely dangerous. He is responsible for eight murders and at least eleven brutal rapes that we know about. He is holding one of our best agents so it is of the most important that we are careful," said Carlisle. "Any questions?"

Nobody said anything so we fanned out and made our way toward the cabin. I knew from the moment I saw Bella that I wanted her. I think I fell in love with her in that moment. Everyday I found myself falling harder and deeper for her. I tried not to.

After losing Lora, I didn't want to ever put my heart on the line again. I met Lora right after I graduated from UW. She was everything I thought I wanted in a woman. She was beautiful and smart, loving and passionate. I was prepared to spent the rest of my life with her but then she was taken away from me. I didn't want to go through that pain again.

I thought I could use Lauren as a distraction but I saw the pain on Bella's face when she left the bar and I couldn't do that to her, even though she hated me. I couldn't handle seeing her hurting because of me. Then Alice and Rose told us about Jacob. I was pissed that he would treat her like that. She deserves to be treated like a queen.

I knew there was something going on between her and Carlisle when they started yelling at each other. I saw the pain and frustrations in both of their faces. I will admit I was jealous when Bella left with Carlisle that night. I was pissed because I thought like everyone else that they were fucking around on Esme. When I confronted Bella about it on the way to San Francisco, I saw how much she needed Carlisle and Esme. I didn't understand how she could forgive him for leaving her but she did. She loved Carlisle and Esme so much that I knew I had to let it all go.

Esme and I talked more about it. She wouldn't give me any details but she told me that Bella was important to all of them. The more I got to know her, the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted her to be mine. I just never thought she would want me. Then I saw her with Izzy and I knew that I had to find a way to make her mine.

I felt my breath catch in my throat when I saw her come into the club. Bella was already beautiful to me but she was like a goddess in blue. She came over and sat down and I couldn't speak. Then she and Esme went out and started dancing together. Even though Esme is my sister and that is completely gross, I got hard. Bella was carefree and alive. She was incredibly sexy.

I watched as she danced with other men but she was more reserved with them than she was with Esme. I knew that apart of her loved Esme like she loves me. Maybe it's because Carlisle loves her. I finally got the courage to go over and dance with her and it took every bit of strength not to fuck her on the dance floor. The way her body moves in my hands made me hard. I was fixing to kiss her when she ran.

I went running after her and I pulled her into my arms and I couldn't stop myself. I needed her. She asked me to take her to my place and I think I drove nearly 90 trying to get there. We walked in and I was scared to admit to her how I felt. But I took a deep breath and I told her. I was in love with her. She smiled and told me she loved me back. I made love to her that night. I won't lose her now that I finally have her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO," screamed Bella.

* * *

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I can't tell you how much I love each and every one of them! I hope you enjoyed this peek into Edward's mind :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**JAMES POV**

I couldn't help but chuckle as Isabella, my sweet Isabella, fell to the ground next to the boy. Like he had anything on me. I picked Isabella up off the ground and slung her over my shoulder. I turned and quickly made my way back into the tunnel. The tunnel had been one of the only good things my dear, old, whore of a mother told me about her life here in Forks.

She told me about how daddy dearest, a.k.a. the son of a bitch who took me away from my Isabella, used to use the tunnel to sneak out to see her when they were in high school. Apparently, good old granny and grampy Swan didn't much care for my mom. I guess I can't really blame them. She wasn't anything but a whore, who put her own selfish needs in front of mine.

I knew the moment I saw Isabella that she was supposed to be mine. I was ten. I was standing out in front of the school waiting for the bell to ring when she climbed out of the car with her sisters. Rosalie and Alice were both a couple of mean bitches but not my Isabella. She was perfect. For months, I would watch her climb out of her mother's car. She never spoke to me but she always smiled as she made her way into the school with Rosalie and Alice. They just ignored me. I wrote her love letters but I was too scared to give them to her. She was so smart and beautiful. All the boys thought she was pretty but to me, she was beautiful. Then the day came that changed it all for me, for us.

_I was slowly making my way into the school. My legs hurt from where he had whipped me last night. I should have gotten home from school quicker. He wouldn't have taken us to the cabin if I had been home on time. _

"_Hey, are you ok?" asked the sweetest little voice. I looked behind me and saw her. My Isabella was watching me with wide bambi eyes. "Did you hurt your leg?"_

"_Yeah," I whispered. She smiled at me. _

"_How?" she asked._

"_I fell," I muttered as I looked away from her._

"_Oh," she said. "You must have fallen pretty hard. You have bruises on your arms and neck too."_

"_Yeah, I'm clumsy," I mumbled._

"_Me too," she said as she bit her bottom lip. "Well, I guess we should go into the school, Brandon."_

"_You know my name?" I asked surprised._

"_Of course I do," she chuckled. "I'm Isabella. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you before today. The Barbie twins are always rushing me into school so they can dump me off on my teacher."_

"_The Barbie twins?" I asked as we headed into the school._

"_My sisters, Rosalie and Alice. They are completely obsessed with clothes and make-up. They keep trying to get me to play with them but honestly, I think it's boring," said Isabella._

"_So what do you like to do?" I asked._

"_I love to read," she said with a big smile. "I love to fight with my daddy. He let's me put on his boxing gloves and punch his bag."_

"_Oh," I said as we stopped in front of my classroom. "I guess this is me."_

"_I'll see you later, Brandon," she said softly. "It'll be ok. I mean, your leg will be ok."_

"_Thanks, Isabella," I said._

_She turned and walked down to her classroom. She stopped and looked back at me. She waved before she went inside._

I shook my head slightly as I carried Isabella into the cabin. I took her to the back room and laid her on the bed. That was the last time I saw Bella until six years ago. Charlie Swan came over that night and arrested my 'father' and dragged me and my mom to the station. We were on a plane to Phoenix that night. My mother promised me that things would be better but they weren't. I didn't like to think about it too much.

I slowly stripped off Isabella's clothes. Fuck, she had a fantastic body. So much better than she did the first time I touched her. I had come so close to having her that night but I went about it all wrong. I scared her by trying to force the moment. I should have been more patient with her. She was so scared that she tried to hurt me. I had to fight back. I hated the thought that I had hurt my Isabella.

After I went to prison for my so called attack on her, I thought I had lost her again. Even after I was released, they forced me to relocate to Seattle. I searched for Isabella but I couldn't find her. However, I knew my Isabella. She would find me and I was right. It took killing four whores but she found me. Just like I knew she would. My Isabella was smart.

It took every bit of my control not to take her while she was unconscious but I wanted my Isabella to enjoy our time together. After watching her fuck that boy, I knew she was going to be just as magnificent as I had always imagined. I tied her hands and feet to the bed and went back out into the kitchen to prepare her dinner. I would take good care of my Isabella.

**BPOV**

My eyes felt heavy. My head hurt. I felt cold. My body shivered as the cold air blew across me. I opened my eyes slowly and began to panic. How did I end up in this cabin? I thought to myself. Then I remembered. James standing over Edward's body. His dark chuckle as he pressed the rag over my nose and mouth. I looked around but didn't see him in the room I was in. I tried to move but my arms and feet had been tied to the bed. I looked down to see that I was completely naked.

"HELP!" I screamed. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"No one will be able to hear you," said James as he came into the room.

"Let me go," I said.

"I don't think so," said James as he came over and sat on the bed next to me. "You always were so pretty. I can see why all the boys wanted you so badly."

"Please let me go," I said through my tears as he placed his hand on my thigh.

"I can't let you go," he whispered. "I love you, Isabella."

"I don't love you. You're my brother. I can't love you like that," I said. He tensed up.

"So you finally know the truth about good old Daddy," snapped James.

"Yes, and he was wrong for turning you away, James," I said.

"He didn't love me. He let those men hurt me and my mom. He didn't want me because I wasn't a girl," said James to himself. He turned and looked at me. "He loved you."

"He loves you. He told me," I said.

"Liar," chuckled James as he laid down next to me. "I can tell when you lie. You get this little crease on your forehead. You're so beautiful. From the moment I saw you, I knew we were meant to be together."

"We can't be together, James. You're my brother," I whispered. He sat up and looked at me.

"I need to be with you. I need you to love me like the others loved me. Please, Isabella, love me back?" he begged.

"I can't," I said. "I don't love you. They didn't love you, James."

"Yes, they did. They told me," said James. He got up and went over to the TV and turned it on. "See, watch."

He hit the play button and the tape started. I saw him raping Erin Walters, who was tied to the same bed as I was, she screamed for help as he hit her and brutalized her. He begged her to love him. He begged her to love him back. He called her Bella. As he raped her, he called her Bella. I felt the bile rise in my throat when he wrapped his hands around her neck and choked her while he raped her.

"Turn it off," I said as I cried. James turned it off and looked over at me. "How you could do that to them?"

"They wouldn't be you. I needed them to be you but none of them would be you," said James as he laid back down on the bed. He reached over and started running his hand up my leg.

"Don't touch me," I whispered.

"I need you, Isabella. I love you. I need to be with you," he whispered as he kissed my breasts.

"Please don't do this," I whispered. He rolled off the bed and pulled his shirt off. I gasped when I saw the tattoo of myself on his chest. "Oh my god. You're fucking crazy."

"I'm not crazy," he said as his eyes got dark with anger. "You had everything. You had the perfect father. You had the perfect world. What did I get? My 'father' nearly killed me and made me fuck my mom when I was ten years old. Then your father sent me away like I was trash because he didn't want me. So dear old mom found a new douche bag to be with. He was so great, wasn't he? He really liked the way I used my mouth on him. Then that asshole took her from me. I was all alone again. I had nothing because your father didn't want me near you. Of course, I didn't know that good old Chief Swan was my daddy too. No, I didn't find that until after my mother dragged me off to Phoenix. She made sure I knew that it was my fault she lost him."

"I'm sorry that he turned you away but it's not my fault," I cried.

"It is your fault because nobody could compare to his perfect Isabella. She was so smart, beautiful. She got everything SHE EVER WANTED WHILE THE REST OF US GOT NOTHING," he shouted as I punched me in the face. "I WAS BETTER THAN YOU BUT NOBODY WANTED ME."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH," I screamed as he hit me several more times. He hit me in the face and my upper torso. I felt my ribs crack under his iron fists.

"I'm sorry, my Isabella. I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered. I could feel the blood pouring down my face.

"You did hurt me," I snapped through the blood. "LET ME GO!"

"I CAN'T LET YOU GO. I NEED YOU," he bellowed in my face.

"You don't need me. You're a sick, crazy fucker," I snapped. "I did nothing to deserve this."

"You sent me away," he yelled. "I didn't want to leave you. I would have taken every blow by him to stay here with you but you didn't want me."

"I was six years old," I snapped. "I was trying to help you."

"But I loved you. I wanted you even then," he whispered through his tears. "You had to send me away."

"James, I was trying to help you. I can help you get help if you will let me go," I whispered. His face turned hard.

"You think I'm stupid," he snapped. "I can't let you go. I will die in prison on death row for my sins."

"No, I can get you help," I said.

"You think you are so smart," He snapped as he straddled me. "I was fine without you until I saw you in New York. You were so beautiful. You had just stepped off the subway and I knew it was you."

He ran his hands down my chest until he reached his crotch. He unbuttoned his jeans and pulled out his erection. I felt the bile rise up in my throat as he started stroking himself.

"You were so beautiful. Your hair was laying down on your shoulders," he groaned as he increased his pace. I turned my face away but he used his other hand to force my face back to him.

"Please, James, don't do this," I sobbed softly. He closed his eyes as he mumbled under his breath about my hair.

"I followed you to campus and I knew I had to have you. But you didn't see me. You were to busy with your nose in a fucking book to see me," he murmured, ignoring my tears.

"I didn't mean ignore you," I whispered. He opened his eyes and glared at me as he stopped stroking himself.

"Ignore me?" he snapped. "I was nothing to you. All you cared about was beating me out of top honor. You had to prove that you were the best of all of us."

"I wasn't," I said. "I wasn't the best, James. You were the best. I mean look how hard it has been for us to find you."

"But you did find me, Isabella. I knew if anyone found me it would be you. You figured it all out, didn't you?" he murmured as he caressed my body. I could feel my tears pouring down my face.

"Please let me go," I whispered. He snapped his head up at me.

"NO!" he bellowed. "YOU'RE MINE."

"NO, I'M NOT!" I screamed. He climbed off of me and stormed into the other room. He came back in with my gun in his hand. He pointed it at me. "What are you doing, James?"

"You're mine. Say it," he snapped.

"No," I whispered. "I'm not yours."

"YOU'RE MINE. SAY IT!" he bellowed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed.

"That's too bad. I would have enjoyed fucking you," he said before he pulled the trigger.

I heard a loud bang and felt the bullet enter my leg. I heard another loud bang and saw Charlie pointing his gun at James as he fell to the ground. Carlisle and Edward came running over to me. Carlisle put pressure on my wound while Edward untied my hand and feet. I clung on to him as soon as my hands were free.

"It's ok now, Bella. He won't hurt you again," whispered Edward.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, ISABELLA!" bellowed James as he laid on the ground. Garrett and Emmett were holding him down while they put pressure on his chest wound.

"Edward," I moaned as I felt myself getting dizzy.

"We need to get her out of here. She's losing too much blood," snapped Carlisle.

I looked into Edward's eyes as I felt him picking me up. I gasped a few times as I faded into the darkness.

* * *

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews. Keep them coming!**


	27. Chapter 27

CPOV

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bella screamed.

I shared a look with Edward before we both took off running with everyone following us. We came upon a completely trashed out looking cabin. I pulled my gun and motioned for everyone to follow me and Edward inside. I kicked the door in at the same time we heard a gun shot. I felt my breath catch in my chest. Charlie ran past us with his gun raised.

There was another gun shot and we saw Charlie with his gun pointed at James. James glared at him before he fell to the ground. Edward and I pushed past Charlie, who seemed to have froze as he looked down at the son he had abandoned, and ran over to Bella. The bastard had tied her down naked to the bed. She had blood gushing from a gunshot to her left thigh. I quickly put pressure on her leg wound. I could see bruises already starting to form on her torso, face, and legs. Edward quickly untied her and wrapped the blanket around her as she clung to him.

"It's ok now, Bella. He won't hurt you again," whispered Edward.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, ISABELLA!" bellowed James as he laid on the ground. Garrett and Emmett were holding him down while they put pressure on his chest wound, while Charlie just looked down at him.

"Edward," Bella barely moaned. The wound on her leg was gushing profusely.

"We need to get her out of here. She's losing too much blood," I snapped. Bella's eyes rolled back as she passed out. "BELLA!"

Let's go," snapped Edward as he lifted her up. I pulled off my belt and tied it around her leg, hoping to at least slow down the bleeding enough to get her to the hospital.

"Get him out of here," I snapped to the rest of my team. "And make sure you process this shit hole."

I barely heard them acknowledge my instructions as Edward and I carried Bella out of the cabin. I tried to keep the pressure on her leg as I prayed that we wouldn't be too late to save her. We quickly made our way down to the edge of the woods where an ambulance was waiting for us. The paramedics quickly got her loaded onto the stretcher and took off. Edward and I climbed into one of the many police cars and followed them to the hospital.

Neither Edward or I said anything as we drove to the hospital. I knew we were both trying not to voice our fears that we had been too late to save her. We both loved Bella. In different ways of course, but we both loved her. I parked the car in the parking lot and we jumped out and ran inside.

"Where did they take the woman who just came in via ambulance?" I snapped at the triage nurse.

"Sir, you need to calm down," she said.

"Don't fucking tell us to calm down," growled Edward. "Where the fuck is she?"

"Sir, I don't want to have to call security but I will," snapped Nurse Bitch. "Now, calm down. They have her in trauma room one, but-"

"Thanks," I muttered under my breath.

Edward and I pushed our way past her as she tried to stop us from going into the back but we ignored her. We found trauma room one and stood outside the door as we watched them working on Bella. Two security guards came up to us but we just flashed them our badges. Sometimes being an agent has it's perks.

"Carlisle?" asked someone behind me. I turned and saw Jessica Stanley. She and Bella went to school together. I met her when I came home with Bella. "What are you doing here?"

"Bella," I said as I pointed into the room. She looked in and turned back to me.

"I'll take care of her," she said.

I just nodded my as she pushed through the doors and took over Bella's care. I knew Bella would feel more comfortable with Jessica handling her case.

"Who was that?" asked Edward, never taking his eyes off Bella's lifeless body.

"Dr. Jessica Stanley," I said. "She and Bella went to school together."

"Oh," said Edward. "She was Bella's friend?"

"As close to a friend as Bella had," I said, watching her work on Bella's leg. "Bella didn't really have friends here or anywhere until she was in New York. Even then, she didn't trust many people."

"I know," said Edward.

We didn't speak again as we stood outside the door to the trauma room. Jessica was ordering everyone around and working on stopping the bleeding from the bullet wound. I could see the frustration written all over her face. She barked out a few more orders before she came back out to us.

"Where are Charlie and Renee?" she asked. I clenched my teeth together.

"They won't be going near her," I muttered. "Is she going to be ok?"

"You know I can't talk to you about her care," said Jessica. "Are Rose or Alice here?"

"No," snapped Edward. "Tell us."

"I can't," said Jessica.

"Jessica, tell us," I said calmly. "You and I both know enough about her relationship with Charlie and Renee to know that if I say they can't be trusted right now, then they can't be trusted. Now, please, is she going to be ok?"

"Fine," sighed Jessica. "She's in pretty bad shape. She has three broken ribs, a busted nose and lots of bruises. The bullet went through her femur. I am sending her to surgery now to fix it. Now what the fuck happened to her?"

"I can't get into the details, Jessica," I said. "But she was taken hostage a few hours ago by a suspect on one of our cases."

"Shit," muttered Jessica. "Ok, I've got to get to the OR. I will be moving her to a private room on the fifth floor once I fix her leg. It should take about an hour. Do whatever it is you need to do to secure her room by then, ok?"

"Thanks, Jessica," I said.

"Did you at least get the bastard?" she asked as the doors slammed open. The three of us looked over to see James being wheeled in.

"That's him," I muttered.

The three of us watched as the paramedics wheeled him into a trauma room. Jessica just shook her head and walked over the elevator. I looked over at Edward. His jaw was so clenched and tight that I thought he would break it. I grabbed his arms and pulled him over to the elevator. I sent Emmett a text letting him know which floor we would be on when they got done processing the scene. We needed make sure we got as much evidence as we could in case, by some unlucky miracle, James doesn't die a painfully slow and agonizing death.

Edward and I made our way up to the fifth floor and quickly secured the room that would be Bella's. The nurses didn't really seem to like our presence but I didn't really give a shit. This was Bella and we were going to protect her this time. We had been in there for about twenty minutes when the door to Bella's room opened and we both looked up to see Garrett, Ben, Emmett, and Jasper. All four of them had guilt written all over their faces. I should have told them that they shouldn't feel guilty but I couldn't. While it wasn't their fault that James got her, they hadn't made her time with us easy. I wasn't about to cuddle them now. They sat down on the floor and leaned up against the wall without saying a word. I knew they did their jobs at the cabin.

"Carlisle, why did you leave Bella when he attacked her the first time?" asked Edward. I felt everyone look up at me but I just looked down at my feet.

"What has she told you about us?" I asked.

"Not much," said Edward. "Just that you were her best friend. That she needs you and Esme."

"Bella saved me from myself," I said. "When she assigned to me, I wasn't happy about it. It wasn't so much that she was a woman as it was that I didn't want a partner at all. See, I wasn't in a good place. I drank a lot and I had a temper. One night we were assigned a case of a woman named Anna. Anna was on the subway on her way home from work when she was gang raped by ten men. No one saw anything and she refused to press charges. She went home and shot herself in the head in front of her son. When I got the call that night, I didn't……I couldn't handle it. It brought up a lot for me."

"Like what?" asked Emmett. "Bella told me and Jasper that part but I don't understand how you could leave her when she needed you."

"Did she told you anything about my childhood?" I asked.

"No," said Jasper. I took a deep breath.

"When I was ten years old, my mother was raped repeatedly by several men in front of me," I whispered. I heard them take a deep breath and look at me but I kept my eyes on my feet. I could feel the tears swimming in my eyes. "I tried to help her but they held me down. I wasn't strong enough to fight them. When they were done, they just threw her on the ground like she was nothing. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. She stood up and just started walking away. She didn't even look back at me. I scrambled to my feet and ran after her. I grabbed onto her hand but she didn't acknowledge me. We walked the twenty blocks back to our apartment without ever saying a word. My father looked up at us as we came in. He demanded to know what had happened to her. Her dress was covered in filth and her face was bruised from where they had hit her when she cried. She told him about the men. She finally looked down at me and said 'My angel, I'm sorry we didn't get to the movie.' I couldn't believe that she was talking about some fucking movie after what they did to her. She leaned down and kissed the top of my head and told me she loved me before she went into the bathroom and killed herself."

"Fuck," I heard one of the mutter but I couldn't make out who it was.

"My father blamed me for what happened to my mother and he sent me away. He gave me up and I went into foster care. I was sent to live in a boys homes. No foster family was willing to take me in after I had a few run ins with some older boys. See, I was considered to be damaged and no one thought I was worth the chance, I guess," I said through my tears. "When I met Bella, I hadn't really dealt with any of it and I was a jerk but she saved me. The night Anna killed herself, I got so fucking drunk. I'm not even sure how I ended up at Bella's apartment. I was ranting and raving about nothing. Bella pulled me into her apartment and forced coffee down me until I started sobering up some. We spent all night talking. She told me about her childhood here in Forks. She didn't have it easy yet she was incredible. I broke down and told her about my mom. She just held me while I sobbed like baby. I think I fell in love with her that night."

"Then how could you leave her?" asked Garrett.

"Bella and I had been together for nearly a year when James started sending us the photos," I said. "I begged her to transfer to another division but she refused. We started fighting all the time. I was losing her. I know now that it was my fault but at the time I blamed her. The night of the attack, we had a really nasty fight. She told me I was being an ass and I called her a self righteous bitch. She slapped me and I stormed out. I will regret that for as long as I live. I should have stayed with her that night. When I got the call from our captain that Bella had been attacked, it brought everything. Everything I had been suppressing boiling over. I was scared. I went to the hospital and I saw Bella….laying in that bed…….and ….."

"It's ok," whispered Edward. He placed his hand on my back as I let my tears fall.

"It's not ok," I sobbed softly. "I was so afraid that she would leave me that I left her instead. I was a coward. I wish I could take it back but I can't."

"Bella told us how you came back, Carlisle," whispered Emmett. I looked up at him. "She told us how you saved her from killing herself. Now, she's going to need all of us to man up and be there for her. It's time that we were because honestly, we've all been dicks to her."

"He's right," said Garrett as he wiped a tear away. "Bella's going to need us to help her deal with this again. She's going to need us to support her and help her get back on the job because she's the best fucking cop I've ever met."

The door to Bella's room opened and Jessica came in with a couple of orderlies. They pushed Bella's bed into the room. The orderlies got her settled and left.

"Jessica, how is she?" I asked.

"She's stable," said Jessica. "I was able to fix her leg. One of her ribs punctured her lung, which is why I have her on the breathing tube. It's just a precaution at this point. I have her on some pain meds to keep her comfortable."

"When will she wake up?" asked Edward.

"I don't know," said Jessica. "She's been through so much….I just don't know."

"Thanks, Jessica," I said.

"No problem," she said. "Her father is outside."

"Son of a bitch," muttered Edward as he made to go out into the hall. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I'll handle Charlie," I said. "You stay here with Bella."

Edward just nodded his head. I followed Jessica out into the hall. Charlie was leaning against the wall across from her door. He opened his mouth to speak but I put up my hand and he shut his mouth. I motioned for him to follow me. Jessica went over to the nurses station while I led Charlie down to an empty room and shut the door behind me.

"Is she ok?" he asked.

"For now," I said. "You need to get the fuck out of here."

"She's my daughter," snapped Charlie.

"He was your son," I snapped. Charlie flinched back slightly. "I don't really give a shit about whatever pathetic reasons you have for abandoning your son but I will not let you hurt Bella again."

"You're going to lecture me about hurting Isabella?" snapped Charlie. "You were the one who left her alone last time."

"You were the one who made it clear to her that she wasn't the daughter you wanted her to be," I snapped. "You and Renee have done nothing but undermine her since she was kid. Now, you both nearly got her killed because you couldn't man up and tell us the truth about James, the cabin, the tunnel. Now you had better pray that we don't decide to bring you both up on charges."

"I have done nothing but try to protect Isabella from the day she was born," said Charlie.

"Protect her?" I asked. "That's a load of shit, Charlie."

"What would you know?" he snapped at me. "You left her when she needed you."

"You're right. I did," I said. "But at least I came back. You were never there for her. How many times did you come see her in New York? How many times did you call her on her birthday, Charlie? You were never there for her. Now, until she wakes up and tells us that she is willing to see you, I would suggest you get the fuck out of here."

I turned and left him standing there. I went back down to Bella's room and took the chair next to her bed. Edward was sitting on her other side with her hand in his. I picked up her hand and brought it to my lips. I would not abandon her this time. I won't lose her again.

* * *

**Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	28. Chapter 28

**ESME POV**

I sat in the rocking chair in my old bedroom with my Izzy in my lap. She had finally cried herself to sleep. She had done nothing but cry since we left Forks to come back to Seattle. I knew she was worried about Bella. The two of them had a bond that no one could break. I know that most people would think it was strange that my daughter's best friend was my husband's ex-girlfriend but it didn't bother me. Bella and Izzy needed each other just like Carlisle needs Bella and me. How Bella needs him and Edward. Just like I need Carlisle, Edward and Bella. We were a family. This was how we worked. I tightened my arms around my beautiful girl as she whimpered in her sleep.

"No…bring my Bella back…" she whimpered.

I pulled her even closer, although I'm not sure how that was possible as I continued to rock her slowly. When I first met Carlisle, I knew I was in trouble. I was consulting on a case with the FBI when I saw him. He looked like shit, but he was still handsome. His clothes were wrinkled. He needed to shave and he had bags under his eyes. I was coming out of the elevator as he was coming into the building. Our eyes met and he completely froze in mid step. My face turned pink as I smiled at him. He started to smile but suddenly his face shifted and I could feel his pain from across the lobby.

He turned and practically ran out of the building. I just shook my head and walked outside, ignoring the sharp pains of rejection that shot through me. He was sitting on a stone bench with his face in his hands. His shoulders were shaking as he sobbed. I don't know what possessed me to go over to him but I did. I sat down and he looked up at me.

"_What?" he snapped. I should have been scared but I wasn't. I knew he wasn't dangerous. He was hurting but he wasn't dangerous._

"_I'm just sitting here," I said. "Lovely day, isn't it?"_

"_No," he muttered as the mist fell on us. "Why are you sitting here?"_

"_Seemed like a nice spot," I said. I turned and looked at him. "You look like shit."_

"_What?" he asked._

"_I said you look like shit," I said with a smile. "When was the last time you ate?"_

"_What do you care?" he asked as he looked down at his feet._

"_Well, I'm starving," I said. "Why don't you let me buy you a cheeseburger?"_

"_No," he snapped._

"_Oh, come on," I chuckled softly. "Don't you want a big, greasy cheeseburger?"_

"_Why are you bothering me?" he asked. I sighed softly._

"_I don't mean to bother you," I said sadly. "I'm just trying to be a friend to you. I'm sorry. I'll go now." _

_I got up and started walking away but he grabbed my hand. I felt a tingle shoot through my entire body. I looked back at him. He looked from our hands up to my face and smiled softly. He stood up._

"_So I guess I could use a cheeseburger," he said softly. I smiled widely at him. _

"_Let's go," I said, tightening my grip on his hand. "I'm Esme Mason."_

"_Carlisle Cullen," he said softly. _

We headed down to the diner a few blocks away and spent the afternoon talking. He explained that he had just moved to Seattle from New York a couple weeks before but he didn't really go into more details. I knew there was more he wasn't saying but I also knew not to push him.

Instead I told him about me. He sat there all afternoon while I rambled on about my childhood with Edward, my parents, my career. Sometimes he would get a far away look in his eyes. I couldn't help wonder what he was thinking about. Of course, now I knew it was Bella.

Carlisle and I had been seeing each other for nearly two months when he finally told me about her. I'll admit that I was jealous of the hold she had on him. Who wouldn't be jealous of her? The way he talked about her. He made her out to be quite the heroine. Of course, it wasn't until he told me about his mother and his son of a bitch father and how Bella saved him from killing himself with the booze, that I finally understood. She was his heroine. Then he told me about how she had been attacked by that monster. When he told me how he left her while she was in the hospital, I slapped him and called him a coward.

He broke down and sobbed like a baby. I immediately felt bad. I held him while he let it all out. He had been holding onto so much guilt for so long. It was more than just his guilt for leaving Bella. He was holding onto guilt from his mothers death and his father's abandonment of him. I vowed in that moment, as I held him, that I would not let him go. I would help him. I knew the first step was to help him reach out to Bella.

It was hard to convince him, and myself, that he needed to go back and talk with her. He was scared that she would hate him and I couldn't promise him that she wouldn't but I told him that if he ever loved her that way he claimed to that he needed to do this. He agreed and I promised to go with him.

So we boarded the plane to New York. I'll admit that, as we headed up the stairs to her apartment, I was scared to death that I was going to lose Carlisle to Bella. I knew I was in love with him but I loved him enough to let him go if she made him happy.

_Carlisle unlocked her apartment door after knocking several times and getting no answer. We shut the door behind us. I could hear someone sobbing from the back of the apartment. Carlisle pulled me behind him as we made our way down the short hallway to the back bedroom. He pushed the door open and we stepped into the room. _

_Sitting in the corner was Bella. Her long mahogany hair was hanging in her face but I could see the tears pouring down her face as she held the gun in her hand up to her head. I could feel her pain rolling off of her in waves. I felt my own tears fall from my eyes as Carlisle got down on his hands and knees and crawled over to her._

"_Bella, honey, it's me," he whispered. She looked up at him and her eyes widen slightly._

"_Car?" she barely whispered. I slid down to the floor next to the door and watched as she reached her free hand up and stroked his cheek. "Are you really here?"_

"_Yes, honey," he whispered through his tears. "What are you doing with your gun, Bell?"_

"_I've gotta make him stop, Car," she cried. "I can't take it anymore."_

"_Make who stop?" he asked as his tears fell freely._

"_Him," she sobbed. "I can feel him on me still, Car. He never leaves me alone."_

"_Baby, he's not here," whispered Carlisle as he slowly reached up and stroked her check. "He's in jail. He can't hurt you anymore."_

"_HE ALWAYS HURTS ME!" screamed Bella. "YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL. I CAN'T WAIT TO FUCK YOU. COME ON, ANGEL, I KNOW YOU WANT ME."_

"_Bella, calm down," I whispered. She snapped her eyes over to me. _

"_Who are you?" she whispered._

"_I'm Esme," I said softly. "I'm a friend of Carlisle's."_

"_Oh," said Bella. She shifted her eyes from me to Carlisle before looking down at her feet. "I see."_

"_Bella, I…" trailed off Carlisle. I crawled over to them. _

"_Bella, tell me about how he hurts you all the time," I whispered. She looked up at me for a moment as Carlisle pulled the gun from her hand and slid it away from her. "It's ok, Bella. You can trust me."_

"_Do you love him?" she asked through her tears. I took a deep breath as I looked up at Carlisle._

"_Yes," I whispered. Bella turned to Carlisle._

"_Do you love her, Car?" she asked._

"_Yes," he whispered as he looked down at her. "Yes, Bell, I do."_

"_Does she make you smile again?" whispered Bella as she stroked his cheek. He leaned in to her hand._

"_Yes, honey," he whispered. "She makes me smile again. She makes me feel safe again."_

"_Good," whispered Bella. She turned to me and grabbed my hand. "Please don't hurt him."_

"_I won't," I whispered through my tears._

I wrapped my arms around Bella and held her all night as she cried herself to sleep. I looked down at Izzy. She and Bella were so much alike sometimes. The next morning in New York, when Bella finally woke up, I dragged her out of her apartment. I could already tell that she wouldn't be honest with me until I got her away from Carlisle. She needed me more than Carlisle did in that moment.

We made our way down to central park and spent the entire day talking. She told me about her parents, her sisters, her childhood. She had been made to be the freak her entire life. She was amazing and strong but they had belittled her and treated her like an outsider just because she was different than they were. It made me sick. We talked about her and Carlisle a little bit but I could tell she was uncomfortable talking about him. So we moved on to James Sanders.

She nearly shut down on me. I saw her starting to put up her super woman walls up again and I had to get her to be honest with herself. Eventually, she told me everything. I don't know she dealt with all of it on her own. I will admit that as much as I love Carlisle, I was pissed that he would leave her. She truly was an amazing woman. I think a part of me fell in love with Bella that day.

For the next couple years, she would call me on the phone when she was having a breakdown. Sometimes, I would calm her down in five minutes and other times it might have taken five hours but I never gave up on her. She would rant and rave. She would scream and cry but I just listened. That's what she needed. Once she calmed down, we would talk about what had happened that day to set her off. More often than not, it was one of the jerks she worked with.

It wasn't until Izzy was born that she and Carlisle really got their friendship back. She couldn't come back for the wedding. She claimed that she was in the middle of a big case but I knew she couldn't handle seeing Carlisle marry me. She still loved him. I understood but when Izzy was born, something changed for her.

_I was laying in my hospital bed with Isabella in my arms. She was perfect. Carlisle was sitting next to me with his arms wrapped around us. The door opened and I looked up to see Bella poking her head in. _

"_Hey," I said. "Come in."_

"_Are you sure you're up to visitors?" she asked softly._

"_Of course," I said. Bella stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. She came over and sat on the edge of the bed in front of Carlisle. "I'd like you to meet, Isabella Elizabeth Cullen."_

"_Isabella?" she asked with a smile._

"_Yep," chuckled Carlisle as he nudged her with his foot. "We named her after her godmother, if you'll take the job."_

"_I suppose I can do godmother duty," smirked Bella. "Do I get to hold my goddaughter?"_

"_Sure," I said. Bella went and washed her hands before she came back over and sat back onto the bed. I placed Isabella in her arms. _

"_Hello, Isabella," she whispered as she let a tear fall down her face. "I'm your Auntie Bella, sweetheart. Anytime you need me, I'll be here. I promise."_

_I watched as Bella let her tears fall as she continued to whispered to Izzy. Carlisle tightened his arms around me and I looked up at him. He leaned down and put his forehead on mine._

"_I love you," he whispered._

"_I love you, too," I whispered._

"_Don't look, Izzy," whispered Bella. "Your Mommy and Daddy are being gross."_

"_Izzy?" asked Carlisle, cocking his eye brow at her. "You nicknamed her Izzy."_

"_Well, Bella is already taken," she smirked. "Isabella is…..well, anyway, Izzy is a cute nickname."_

"_Izzy it is," I chuckled. Bella smiled as she placed Izzy back into my arms. Bella leaned over and kissed my check._

"_She's beautiful, Esme," she whispered softly. "You did good, honey."_

"_Thanks, Bell," I whispered. She turned to Carlisle._

"_You did too, Car," she said softly. _

"_Thanks," he said softly. Bella chuckled softly._

"_Though, it's a good thing she looks like Esme," smirked Bella. I laughed while Carlisle just rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying."_

"_I know what you are just saying," chuckled Carlisle, nudging her with his shoulder. _

In that moment, everything changed for us. Izzy brought us together as a family. Bella and Carlisle were able to finally get back to being best friends. I got a sister and Izzy got her best friend and best aunt.

The door to my room opened and I looked up to see my mother with the phone in her hand.

"It's Carlisle," she whispered. She came over and picked up Izzy out of my arms. I grabbed the phone from her and went out into the hall.

"Is she ok?" I asked him as soon as the phone was to me ear.

"For now," he said softly. "He hurt her pretty badly, Es. He…"

"Is she going to be ok?" I asked through my tears.

"I don't know," he cried. I slid down to the floor and leaned against the wall behind me. "He had her tied up to the bed, Esme. She was naked. We don't know if he…..He beat her so bad that he broke her nose and three ribs. Then he shot her in the leg. She was bleeding so much. I…"

"Oh my god," I cried as I pulled my knees up to my chest. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I just have to talk to Izzy first."

"Is Izzy ok?" he asked.

"No," I said. "She's been crying since we left. She just fell asleep about an hour ago."

"Oh, tell her I love her," he said. "How are the others?"

"Rose and Alice are a mess. Renee is pouting somewhere because Rose and Alice refuse to speak to her, not that I blame them. Kate and Angela are doing ok," I whispered.

"Yeah, Charlie's already pulled the 'I hurt her because I was protecting her' shit," said Carlisle. "I refused to let him see her."

"Good," I said.

"MOOMMMMYYY!" screamed Izzy.

"I'll be there soon, my love," I whispered.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," I whispered before I hung up. I stood up and went back into my room. Izzy was sobbing in Elizabeth's arms. She looked up and saw me and shot into my arms and wrapped her tiny body around mine. "It's ok, my love. It's ok."

"I want Auntie Bella," she sobbed into my neck.

"I know you do, Izzy," I whispered. "I just talked to Daddy. He said that Auntie Bella is ok."

"No, she's not," cried Izzy. "The monster has her."

"Baby, Daddy saved her from the monster," I said softly through my tears. "You are going to stay here with Nana and Papa while I go help Daddy bring her home, ok?"

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU," she screamed.

"Come on, Izzy," whispered Elizabeth, pulling Izzy out of my arms. "Your Mommy needs to go help Auntie Bella."

"I need my Bella, Nana," sobbed Izzy.

"I know, Sweetie," soothed Elizabeth. My mother looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "Bring Bella back to this family."

I just nodded my head at my mother. She carried Izzy out of the room while I quickly packed a few days worth of clothes. I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs to the entry room. Rose, Alice, and Renee were standing in the middle of the room arguing.

"I know you are mad at me, girls, but I was just trying to protect you," said Renee.

"Don't give us that shit," snapped Rose. "You and Charlie have done nothing but lie to us."

"You almost got her killed, Renee," snapped Alice.

"I didn't do anything," said Renee.

"No, you didn't," I said. All three of them turned and looked at me. "Not a one of you truly saw anything beyond your own selfish desires."

"What would you know about Isabella?" snapped Renee.

"You mean besides the fact that she hates that name," I snapped back. "How about the fact that she had felt that not a one of you ever loved her for who is? Or how you all treated her like she was a freak because she was smarter than you? Or how about the fact that not a one of you ever came to visit her while she was New York?"

"We really made her feel like that?" asked Alice.

"Yes," I said, harshly. "Even since she moved here, she has felt that you and Rosalie have done nothing but hurt her."

"We didn't mean too," said Rose, sadly.

"I know you didn't, Rose," I said. "But you did. Now, I am going to go help bring her home but you both have a lot to make up for."

"I'm going with you," said Renee as she started walking up the stairs.

"Like hell you are," I said. She stopped and looked back at me. "You won't be going anywhere near Bella until she decides she ready to see you."

"She's my daughter," snapped Renee. "You can't keep me away from her."

"Try me, Bitch," I snapped.

Renee raised her hand to slap me but I pulled my fist back and slammed it into her face. Throwing a proper punch was one of the many things Carlisle had taught me. Renee stumbled back and fall to the floor Rose and Alice gasped. Kate, Angela, and Ed came running into the room.

"You bitch," she snapped.

"I am a bitch when it come to protecting my family, and honey, Bella is my family," I growled at her. "Leave her alone or I will really let go and kick your ass."

I turned and ran out of the house. I jumped into my car and headed back to Forks. I hope that I can help Bella this time. For her sake, and Edward's, I hope I can help her this time.

* * *

**Esme is offically my hero! Thank you for all the awesome reviews!**


	29. Chapter 29

EPOV

I sat next to Bella's bed while Emmett, Jasper, Garrett and Ben whispered quietly. I couldn't really focus on what they were whispering. Every once in a while I would hear something like 'hope he dies slowly' and 'wish I could do the job myself.' I knew they were talking about _him_. I was trying really hard not to think about _him_ because if I did, the rage I felt boiling under the surface would explode and I knew I had to keep it together for Bella's sake. She was going to need me when she woke up.

Although, it would be nice if she were to wake up sometime soon. It's been eighteen hours, twenty three minutes, and roughly ten seconds since Carlisle and I brought her down to the ambulance. Not that I'm counting. Esme showed up about two and half hours after Carlisle called her. I didn't want to think about how fast she had to have driven to get here that fast. Honestly, I didn't care. I was grateful to have my big sister here. I chuckled inwardly about her entrance into Bella's room.

_Carlisle and I were sitting in the chairs next to Bella's bed, where we've been all day, when the door to Bella's room got thrown open. I looked over and saw Esme storming in. She smiled softly at me and Carlisle before she turned to Garrett, Emmett, Jasper, and Ben. Her face went from caring and concerned to murderous in the blink of an eye. I was afraid for them but thankful it wasn't me on the reviewing end of her glare this time. My big sister could be scary._

"_Esme-" started Carlisle but shut his mouth when she put her hand up. _

"_I want to make myself clear," said Esme. She sounded calm but I could hear the threat in each word. "If the four of you don't lay the fuck off Bella, Edward, and Carlisle, I will make it my mission to make your lives miserable. Believe me when I say that I know ways to torture you that you have never heard of."_

"_Look, Esme, we were wrong," said Emmett, putting his hand up._

"_We should have realized that we were hurting her," said Jasper. "We all are going to do what we can to make it up to her."_

"_We wish we could change the way we handled everything but we can't," said Ben. "I just hope she forgives me for being an ass."_

"_You had better pray she does," said Esme. "Not a one of you understand how she has felt everyday of her life. It shouldn't have take her nearly getting killed for you to wise up and stop being a bunch of mother fucking bastards."_

All four of them just stared at Esme with their mouths hanging wide open. If I hadn't been focusing on Bella, I would have hugged my sister. She went over and sat with Carlisle and told us about Izzy. She wasn't handling her separation from Bella very well. She didn't believe Esme that we had saved Bella and that she was ok. I felt my heart break for my niece. The love that little girl had for Bella was so strong.

Then she told us about Renee. My love for my big sister grew the moment she told us that she bitch slapped Renee. I will admit that even though I would never hit a woman, I was jealous that she was the one who hit Renee. I wanted nothing more than to beat the living shit out of her and Charlie for everything they have ever done to hurt my Bella.

The door to Bella's room opened and Carlisle and Esme came back in. Esme had finally convinced Carlisle to go get something to eat. He kept repeating that he wasn't leaving her. I could hear the underlying message in his words.

"How's she doing?" he asked.

"Same," I said, not taking my eyes off of Bella. "I wish she would wake up."

"We do too," sighed Esme. Emmett, Jasper, Garrett, and Ben had stopped talking as soon as Esme walked in. I thought it was funny that they were scared of her. "She will soon."

"How's Izzy?" I asked.

"She's still upset," said Esme as she sat in the chair next to me. "She doesn't believe me that Bella is ok. I don't know what to do for her."

"Me either," sighed Carlisle as he took his seat on the other side of Bella's bed.

He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. I know it should bother me that my brother in law was being so affectionate with the woman I loved but I wasn't. Bella and Carlisle have a need for each other that I will never understand or get in the way of. Knowing about Carlisle's childhood, made it easier to understand why he needed Bella so much. She truly was an amazing woman.

The door opened to Bella's room again and I turned to see Jessica come in. She seemed to be one of the few people in this town who liked Bella for the way she was.

"I wanted to tell you myself that James Sanders died five minutes ago on the operating table," said Jessica.

"Was it painful?" asked Carlisle eagerly.

"Unfortunately no," said Jessica with disgust. "The bullet splintered upon impact. They were able to remove the first part but the second part was unreachable until it started traveling through his blood toward his heart. They thought they could go in and get it out but he bleed out on the table."

"So he didn't suffer at all?" asked Emmett. I could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"No," said Jessica.

"Well, that fucking sucks," grumbled Emmett. "I was counting on a slow painful death for the son of a bitch."

"I was rather disappointed myself," said Jessica as she checked Bella's stats.

"Is she ok?" I asked.

"She's ok," said Jessica. She looked down at me. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I'll eat when she wakes up," I said.

"Not what I asked," said Jessica.

"I don't really care," I said.

"I was fixing to go grab a bite from the wonderful cafeteria," said Jessica. "Come with me."

"No," I said.

"Edward, go," said Esme. I looked up at her. "You need to eat. When Bella wakes up, she's going to need you more than ever."

"Fine," I sighed. "Let's go."

I followed Jessica out into the hall and down to the elevator. We made our way down to the cafeteria. I grabbed the first sandwich my hand landed on and a bottle of water. I paid for our lunch, even though Jessica rolled her eyes in a very Bella like way, and followed Jessica to a table in the back.

"So what's going on with you and Bella?" asked Jessica.

"She's my partner," I said.

"How long have the two of you been sleeping together?" she asked.

"About a week," I said. I looked up at her. "I love her. She loves me."

"Good," said Jessica. "Bella deserves to be loved."

"You and Bella were friends?" I asked.

"I suppose," said Jessica. "I am four years older than Bella. We graduated together. I tried to watch out of her. It wasn't easy for her."

"I know," I said. "Why did you try to protect her?"

"We were both social outcasts here," said Jessica. I cocked an eyebrow at her. She was an attractive woman. I had a hard time seeing her as an outcast.. "When you announce that you are a lesbian at the age of thirteen, kids tend to haze the shit out you."

"Oh, I see," I said. "So you protected Bella from what?"

"Everyone, including her bitch sisters," said Jessica. "I was a sixth grader when Bella moved into our class. Here was this little girl who was smarter than all of us combined. She was being thrust into the lions den. I had already come out so I was used to being picked on all the time. One day about a week after she joined our class, I was in the bathroom when these two eighth grade girls came in. They were huge bitches. They started giving me crap about how I should be using the boys room so I couldn't peep at girls that I wanted to fuck. I tried to ignore them. Anyway, Bella came in while they had me pinned to the wall. She came over and punched Erin, the biggest of the two. Erin fell to the ground, sobbing like the baby she was. Bella then turned to the other girl, Kimberly, and said 'If I catch either one of you stupid bitches messing with her again, I will make sure you have to repeat the eighth grade. You know I can do it.' Erin and Kimberly ran out of the bathroom. I just stood there with my mouth hanging wide open at the is little seven year old girl who was defending me. Bella went and did her business, washed her hands, and left without saying a word to me. So every time I would see or hear someone picking on her, I would step in and help. She would help me when I needed it."

"That sounds like Bella," I chuckled softly as I shook my head.

"By the time we got into high school, most of the kids stopped bothering her. They just ignored her instead. I tried to reach out to her more but Bella had learned a long time ago not to trust anyone. Rose and Alice never made it easy for her. Her parents put a lot of pressure on Bella to make something of her life. That's why they were so pissed when she went into the academy. They wanted her to be a doctor and save lives that way."

"Yeah, well, I don't think her parents are going to be saying much of anything to her for awhile," I said darkly.

"Did they cause her to get hurt?" asked Jessica. I looked up at her.

"Yes," I said. "Well, no, but they didn't help. They nearly got her killed because they kept important information about our investigation to themselves."

"I see," said Jessica. "Do I need to get a court order forbidding them to come near her while she is here?"

"No," I said. "At least not until she wakes up and tells us whether she wants to see them or not."

"Ok," said Jessica. "I performed a rape kit on Bella when you brought her in. I found semen. When was the last time you two had sex?"

"About four hours before we brought her in," I said.

"Was it rough sex?" she asked. "With the bruises on her thighs…."

"No," I said as I closed my eyes. "Do you think he raped her?"

"I don't know. There wasn't any tearing but with the bruises, I won't know until she wakes up," said Jessica as her pager went off. "I've got to get back to work. I'll need a DNA sample if she decides she wants me to process the rape kit."

"Not a problem," I said.

"If you need anything, Edward, please let me know," she said.

"Thanks, Jessica," I said. "For taking care of her."

"That's what friends do," she said as she stood up. "Just don't hurt her, ok?"

"I won't," I said.

Jessica just nodded and left. I gathered our trash and tossed it before I headed back up to Bella's room. I took the seat next to her and grabbed her hand. I laid my head on her bed and let my tears fall silently as I watched her sleep. I kept having to remind myself that this wasn't Lora laying here. Seeing Bella laying in the bed reminds me if that night. The night I thought my world was going to end.

"_Edward, I have to go," chuckled Lora as I wrapped my arms around her._

"_No, you don't," I said as I kissed the back of her neck. "You need to stay right here with me."_

"_Edward, I have to go," she said softly as she turned in my arms. She leaned up and kissed me softly. "I have class and you have to go to save the world."_

"_I guess you're right," I whispered. "Let's go out for dinner."_

"_Ok," she whispered. "I'll meet you at The Oyster Bar at seven."_

"_It's a date," I chuckled._

_Lora and I quickly showered and got dressed. I walked her out to her car and kissed her before she climbed in. I watched her as she pulled out and drove away. I climbed into my car and headed into the office. I had been working with Carlisle for about two months. I liked my brother in law, even thought he was pretty standoffish. _

_I made my way up to the office and settled in at my desk. _

"_Hey, man, what's up?" asked Emmett as he and Jasper came in._

"_Not much," I said. "How about with you?"_

"_I met this woman last night at Denali's," he moaned. "She was a fine piece of ass."_

"_Do you think of women in any other way other then what a piece of ass they are?" I chuckled._

"_Nope," he said. Jasper chuckled._

"_This one was pretty fucking hot, Edward," said Jasper. "But her friend was a knockout. I enjoyed every minute I was in her."_

"_You both are pigs," I chuckled as I shook my head. Carlisle came running out of his office and up to my desk._

"_Edward, there's been an accident," he said quickly. I jumped to me feet._

"_Esme?" I asked._

"_No," he said. "It's Lora. Edward, she……she didn't make it."_

"_What?" I whispered as I felt my knees go weak. No one was saying anything. "No…….NO!" _

"_I'm sorry," whispered Carlisle._

_He reached for me arm but I pushed him away and ran over to the stairs. It couldn't be true._

I shook my head slightly as I pulled myself out of my memories. I couldn't lose Bella too. I just couldn't handle it if I lost her too. I gripped her hand tighter in mine as I leaned up to her ear.

"Bella, wake up, Baby. Please wake up, Bella…" I whispered through my tears. I knew everyone could hear me but I didn't care right now. "I need you. Please come back to me."

I laid my forehead back on the bed and let my tears fall freely as I clutched at onto the hand my love. I'm not sure how long I had been sitting there when I felt Bella twitch her hand in mine. I looked up through my tears and found myself staring into the deep brown eyes of my love.

* * *

**As always thank you for all the amazingly sweet reviews! If you get the chance please go check out a new site for fan fic stories, ****http://rougefanfic (.) ning**** (.)com/ Just take out the (). There are some really good stories over there.**


	30. Chapter 30

BPOV

_I was walking through a field of wild flowers. The colorful array of flowers surrounded me like a warm blanket. I felt my hair blow in the wind. My skirt whipped around me. I heard voices and turned to see several woman and a couple of little girls standing behind me. All the woman had long, dark brown hair. The two little girls had blond hair. _

"_Who are you?" I asked. "You look familiar."_

"_My name is Erin," said the first girl._

"_I'm Sarah," said the next girl._

"_I'm Lacy," said the third girl._

"_I'm Myra," said the first girl._

"_You stopped him," said a little girl with blond hair. _

"_Who did I stop, sweetheart?" I asked as I knelt down in front of her. _

"_You stopped the monster that hurt us," she whispered. I looked around at all of them._

"_I don't understand," I said._

"_The man who hurt us. You stopped him so he can't hurt anyone again," said Erin. _

"_I did?" I asked as I sat down on the grass. They all sat down around me. "Are you all ok now?"_

"_We are now, Bella," said Sarah. _

"_How do you know my name?" I asked._

"_I don't know," said Sarah. _

"_Bella, wake up, Baby. Please wake up," whispered Edward in the wind. _

_I turned and looked for him but I couldn't find him anywhere. At the edge of the trees stood a tall woman with blond hair and deep blue eyes. She motioned for me to come to her. I looked back at the women sitting around me. They all smiled as they stood up and walked away. I stood up and walked through the wild flowers to the woman. She was wearing a long white dress. _

"_Hello, Bella," she said softly._

"_Do I know you?" I asked. She shook her head slightly._

"_No, but we have someone in common," she said with a smile. "My name is Lora."_

"_Edward's Lora," I gasped. She smiled and nodded her head. _

"_Yes, I'm Edward's Lora," she said. "But he's not mine anymore. He's yours."_

"_He still loves you," I said._

"_I know he does," said Lora. "But he's in love with you, Bella."_

"_Bella……" whispered Edward again. "I need you. Please come back to me." _

"_Go to him, Bella," said Lora as she grabbed my hand. I looked up into her eyes. "Take care of each other. Never stop loving each other and you both will be ok."_

"_Are you ok?" I asked. She smiled softly._

"_I'm perfect now that I know Edward is happy again," she said softly. "Go to him, Bella. Let him take care of you."_

"_I will," I said softly. "Thank you."_

"_No, Bella. Thank you for saving Edward from a lifetime of being alone," she said. "I can rest in peace now that I know he's ok."_

_I turned and headed toward the trees. I stopped and looked behind me. I watched as Lora made her way across the field of wildflowers and joined the other women. They wrapped their arms each other as a bright light shot down from the heavens. Lora turned and waved at me before she followed the others into the light. I turned and headed into the trees toward Edward._

I snapped my eyes open and looked around. I could see the florescent lights of the hospital room shining on me. I looked to my right and saw Edward with his head on my bed. His hand was gripping mine as it laid on the bed. Carlisle was sitting on the other side of me with his head on Esme's shoulder. He had my other hand in his. She was running her fingers through his hair with her eyes closed. Emmett and Jasper were sitting on the floor looking down at their hands while Garrett and Ben were standing by the door. I tried to speak but I had a breathing tube in my mouth. I squeezed Edward's hand but he didn't lookup. I squeezed it again as I felt the tears in my eyes pour down my face. He looked up and smiled though his own tears.

"You're awake," he said. Everyone snapped their heads up to me.

"Oh thank god," whispered Carlisle as he and Esme looked up at me. I raised my hand and wiped the tears off Edward's face.

"I'm going to go get the doctor," said Garrett. I pulled on Carlisle's hand so that he would come closer. I slid my hand out of his and stroked his cheek as Garrett left the room.

"You're ok, Bell," Carlisle whispered.

"You're going to be ok," whispered Edward. "I love you."

I gently stroked his cheek. I wanted to tell him that I love him too but I couldn't. The door to my room opened and I saw Jessica Stanley come in wearing a pair of scrubs. She smiled as she came over to my beside, next to Edward. He made to moved but I clutched onto his hand.

"It's nice to see you awake," she said. "Are you ready to get that breathing tube out?"

I nodded my head softly. She just chuckled as she went over and washed her hands. She pulled on a pair of gloves and came back over to me.

"Ok, I need you to take a deep breath and push it out as I pull the tube out, ok?" she said. I nodded my head at her. I took a deep breath and pushed it out as she pulled on the tub. I choked as I tried to take my breath of air. "Your throats going to be sore for a few days, Bella."

"I need water," I whispered.

"I get you some," said Ben. He turned and left my room.

"Where's James?" I whispered.

"He didn't make it," said Carlisle. Ben came back and handed me a small cup of water. I took a small drink.

"Good," I whispered. I turned to look at Edward. "I love you too."

"I know you do" he whispered. " But it's nice to hear it."

"How long was I out?" I whispered.

"About two days" said Jessica. I turned and looked at her.

"How bad am I?" I whispered.

"You have a broken nose, three cracked ribs. The bullet went straight through your leg and broke you femur but I was able to repair the damage," she said. She turned and looked at the others. "Can you give us minute?"

"Edward, Carlisle, and Esme can stay," I whispered.

"Ok," said Jessica. Emmett, Jasper, Garrett and Ben left. "Bella, did he rape you?"

"I don't know. I was unconscious for awhile," I whispered. She sat down on my bed and held my hand.

"You have some bruising on your thighs and legs," said Jessica. "I performed a rape kit when they brought you in. I understand that you and Edward had been together just before he took you."

"Yes," I whispered. "But it wasn't rough. I know what you are thinking."

"I know," she said. "I already talked to Edward about it."

"Oh," I whispered.

"Can I process the rape kit?" asked Jessica.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Edward, I need DNA sample to compare the sample to."

"Ok," said Edward. Jessica quickly took a DNA swab from the inside of Edward's mouth.

"Ok, um, do you know the first day of your last period?" asked Jessica.

"It was two weeks ago," I whispered. "But I'm on the pill."

"Ok," said Jessica softly as she stood up. "I'm going to give you some time alone with your friends. I'll check on you later, Bella."

"Thanks, Jess," I whispered.

"You're welcome." she whispered. She turned and left.

"It's going to be ok, Bella," whispered Esme as she placed her hand over mine and Carlisle's.

"I…."I trailed off through my tears as someone opened my door. I turned and saw Charlie come in. I felt Edward, Carlisle, and Esme all tense up as he took a step toward me. "No. Don't come near me."

"Isabella-" he started.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT EVER AGAIN," I screamed. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT."

"Baby, calm down," whispered Edward.

"I don't want him here," I sobbed as he pulled me into his arms. My chest was throbbing as the pain shot through me.

"Bella-" started Charlie.

"I don't want him here, Edward. Please make him leave," I sobbed into his arms.

"Leave. Now," ordered Edward as he rubbed my back.

"Bella, just let me explain," said Charlie.

"She said to leave," snapped Esme as she sat on the other side of me.

"This is between me and her," snapped Charlie. Edward shuffled me into Esme's arms before he stood up and walked over to Charlie. I almost hoped he hit him and gave him a black eye to match the one I had given him.

"First, don't ever talk to Esme or Bella like that," growled Edward. "Second, you really need to get the fuck out of here. Bella has made it clear that she doesn't want you here. I think you've done enough damage."

"Bella, honey, please," whispered Charlie

"NO," I cried. "Just leave me alone."

"But-"

"Carlisle, let's get him out of here," said Edward.

"Happy to help," growled Carlisle.

Edward and Carlisle grabbed Charlie's arms and dragged him out of the room. Esme tightened her arms around me as I sobbed into her chest. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to show up here and expect me to listen to anything he said. After all the lies, why would he think I would want to listen to him? Esme laid back in the bed with me and held me as I cried myself to sleep.

"_Isabella," whispered James from behind me. I turned but I couldn't see him. "Here I come, Isabella."_

"_Leave me alone," I cried._

"_I'm coming for you," he chuckled sinisterly._

"_NO," I screamed. I turned and started running. _

"_You can't out run me," he teased as he grabbed my arm. "Gotcha."_

"_NO!" I screamed as I fought against him. He dragged me back into that cabin and tied me back to that bed. "LET ME GO."_

"_We can't do that, Isabella," said Charlie as he came into the room with Renee. James smiled as he went and stood next to them. _

"_Hey, Dad," he said. "I finally got her."_

"_You did good, son," said Charlie, patting him on the back. _

"_Thanks, Dad," said James. _

"_Let me go," I cried._

"_No," said Charlie as he came over and sat on my bed. "You belong to James now."_

"_NO!" I screamed. "I DON'T… Dad, don't let him hurt me again."_

"_I have to, honey," said Charlie. "I owe him."_

_Charlie got up and walked over to James. He put his hand on his shoulder and whispered into his ear. James nodded his head. Charlie and Renee walked out and left me alone with James. He came over to the bed and climbed onto me._

"NOOOO," I screamed as I snapped my eyes open.

"It's going to be ok, Bell," Esme whispered as she pulled me back into her arms.

"He had me again," I cried into her chest. "Charlie and Renee were there and he said that I was James' now because he owed him. I tried to fight but I couldn't."

"It's ok, Bella," she soothed. "James can't hurt you again."

"I want to believe you, Esme," I sobbed. "I really do."

"We will work this out again," she whispered. "Car, Edward, and I aren't leaving you."

"You promise?" I sobbed.

"I promise," she whispered. I pulled back and wiped the tears off of my face.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Garrett, Ben, Emmett and Jasper are packing up the command room and everything so they can go back to Seattle. Edward and Carlisle are getting a restraining order against Charlie and Renee so they can't come here again," said Esme.

"Is Carlisle doing ok? It's hasn't brought back the pain, has it?" I asked.

"It has but he is working through it," said Esme.

"Good," I whispered as the door to my room opened. Edward, Carlisle and Jessica came in.

"Hey, Baby, you ok?" asked Edward as he kissed my forehead.

"Yeah," I said softly. I looked up at Jessica. "When can I go home?"

"A couple days," she said softly. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain?"

"Seven or eight," I said.

"Ok," she said. "I'll increase your pain meds a bit. I want you to try to stay calm, ok?"

"I'm trying," I said softly.

"I know, Bella," she said softly as she adjusted my meds.

"How's Emma?" I asked. Jessica smiled softly.

"She's fine," said Jessica. "We just bought a house together. She's teaching at the school now. Things are good."

"I'm glad," I whispered. Jessica grabbed my hand.

"If you need anything, you call me ok?" said Jessica. I just nodded my head softly. She turned and left shutting the door behind her. I looked up at Esme.

"How's Izzy?" I asked.

"She's not too good," said Esme. "She really scared and doesn't believe me that you are ok."

"Let me talk to her," I whispered.

"Are you sure you are ready to talk to her?" asked Esme. I nodded my head softly. Esme pulled out her cell phone. "Hey, Mom. Let me talk to Izzy……She's fine. Let me talk to Izzy, please…….Hey Izzy…..She's fine, honey……She's wants to talk to you."

"Hey, sweetheart," I said softly into the phone.

"Auntie Bella," sobbed Izzy. "Are you really ok?"

"I'm ok, sweetheart," I whispered through my tears. "I want you to calm down."

"When are you coming home?" she cried.

"Soon, Sweetheart," I cried. Edward grabbed my free hand and brought it to his lips. "Can you do me a big favor?"

"What?" she whispered.

"Can you take good care of Nana and Papa for me?" I asked. "They need you to be a big girl right now."

"Ok, Auntie Bella," she whispered. "I'll be a big girl. Come home soon. I miss you."

"I miss you, Izzy," I whispered. "Remember what I told you when you came to see me in New York?"

"You said that you would always take care of me," she whispered.

"That's right, sweetheart," I said. "I am keeping that promise. I just need a couple days to get better then I will come see you, ok?"

"Ok, Auntie Bella," she cried softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," I sobbed softly. I handed the phone to Esme. "I can't…"

Esme took the phone and walked out of my room while Edward and Carlisle laid down next to me. Edward wrapped his arm around me while Carlisle held my hand. Esme came in a few minutes later and sat down on the end of my bed. She held Carlisle's free hand while she rubbed my good leg. None of them said anything as I cried myself back to sleep in the arms of my family.

* * *

**Thank you for all the reviews! They made me happy and joyful! If you get the chance, go check out GreenEyedTempation's story, It's Complicated. It's a really good story.**


	31. Chapter 31

"NO," I screamed as I woke up the next morning from yet another nightmare. I looked around the room, frantically trying to remember where I was.

"It's ok, Bell," whispered Carlisle as he tightened the arm he had around me. "I've got you."

"He was holding me in the cabin again," I whispered through the pain in my chest. Stupid broken ribs.

"He can't hurt you again," he whispered. "This time he really can't hurt you again."

"I'm trying really hard to believe that," I whispered as I clutched onto Carlisle. I didn't want to let him go. "You ok, Carlisle?"

"I'm ok," he whispered. I looked up at him and rolled my eyes.

"Liar," I said. He smiled softly.

"I'm working on it," said Carlisle.

"I know," I whispered. I looked around and noticed that Esme and Edward weren't in here. "Where are Esme and Edward?"

"Esme forced Edward to go eat with her," chuckled Carlisle. I smiled softly.

"Good," I said as I nestled more into his arms. "Car?"

"Yes, honey?" he asked.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?" he asked confusedly.

"For not leaving me this time," I whispered through my tears. He tightened his arms around me even more. "I know it's hard for you to be here but I need you. I need Esme and Edward and you."

"I'm not leaving you, Bella," whispered Carlisle. "Not this time."

"I'm really scared, Car," I whispered. "I don't know if I can…"

"You can," he whispered. "We will help you. The rest of team will help you."

"Yeah, cause they've been so supportive up till now," I scoffed.

"Yeah, well, I think you almost…." he trailed off. "Let's just say that they've seen the error of their ways."

"Too bad it took me nearly getting killed for them to understand," I barely whispered as the door to my room opened. Rose and Alice came in. They were looking down at their feet. "What are you two doing here?"

"We wanted to see if you were really ok," whispered Rose.

"It only took you three days to make the three hour drive," muttered Carlisle. I bit my lips to stop myself from chuckling. It would really hurt. "Traffic must have been a son of a bitch."

"We weren't sure you wanted us here," said Alice, ignoring Carlisle. She looked up at me and I noticed she had been crying. "Are you ok?"

"Super," I muttered, harshly. "Did Renee come with you?"

"She came on her own," said Rose, finally looking up at me. Her face was tear stained and red just like Alice's was. "We had been trying to keep her in Seattle but she snuck out on us."

"Great," I whispered. "Have you talked to Charlie or Renee?"

"No," said Alice. "She's tried a few times but we keep telling her to fuck off."

"Yeah, she keeps trying to make excuses for everything they did," said Rose. "Like Alice and I did to you."

"I'm going to give you a minute alone with them," whispered Carlisle as he tried to get out of the bed.

"Please don't leave me," I said frantically as I clung to him.

"I'll just be right outside," he said.

"Promise?" I whispered.

"I promise," whispered Carlisle.

"Ok," I whispered as I let him go. "Just don't go far."

"I won't," he whispered.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead before he walked past Alice and Rose, completely ignoring them when they opened their mouths to speak to him, and went out into the hall. They looked back at me.

"So," I said softly. "What do you want?"

"We're so sorry," cried Rose as she came over and sat on the side of my bed.

"We never meant to make you feel like you didn't belong with us," cried Alice.

"But you did," I whispered through my tears. "When we were little, before I skipped those grades, you never cared that I wasn't a girly girl. You never cared that I was smart. But once I was moved, then you both treated me like I was a freak."

"We didn't mean to, Bella. That's how everyone treated us," said Rose. "You know, we didn't know how to deal with the bullies, either."

"I know," I said. "But you never supported anything I ever did because I wasn't girly like you."

"We don't care if you are girly, Bella," said Alice. "All we ever cared about was that you were happy. The whole time you were in New York, you pushed us away."

"Every time we asked if we could come visit you would tell us that you were too busy working," said Rose. "All we wanted was to be a part of your life."

"Even when you would come back to see Carlisle, you would barely make time for us," said Alice as a tear slipped down her face. "It hurt to know that you didn't want us in your life."

"I wanted you both in my life," I said through my tears. "But you both made it clear to me that you didn't approve of my life or my career. The whole time I was seeing Carlisle, all you did was bad mouth him. Neither one of you would look past the badge and see the man he really was. You still don't."

"The same man that left you when you were hurting?" asked Rose.

"Rose, you don't understand anything about Carlisle," I said, harshly.

"I understand that he left you when you needed him," said Rose. She was starting to get pissed. "I know that he came here and started seeing Esme while he was still with you. How can you just forgive him?"

"You wouldn't understand," I snapped.

"Explain it to us then," said Alice, calmly. "We can admit that we were wrong for how we treated you while you little, in New York, and when you came back to Seattle. We were wrong, Bella, but how can you just let him get away with what he did to you?"

"It's not my story to tell," I said, shaking my head softly. Rose climbed off the bed and went out to the hall. She pulled a confused Carlisle into the room and shut the door behind her. "Rosalie, it's none of your business."

"I think it is," said Rose. She turned to Carlisle. "I would like an explanation on why you left Bella when…… why you left her?"

"Car, you don't have to tell them," I said. Carlisle looked from me to Rose to Alice and back to me. He came over and sat on the side of my bed and grabbed my hand.

"It's ok, Bell," he whispered. "They should know."

"Car-"

"It's ok," he said again.

"No, it's really not ok," said Esme. We all looked up to see Esme and Edward standing in the doorway. Esme had her lioness look on her face. I almost felt bad for Rose and Alice. Almost but they were bringing her wrath on themselves. "He doesn't need to explain anything to either of you. His and Bella's relationship is between them and it's really none of your business."

"He left her when she needed him," snapped Alice. Carlisle's eyes went wide as he looked down at me. I winced as I chuckled loudly, causing everyone to look at me. "What's so funny, Bella?"

"Trust me, Alice," I said. "You do not want to get into this with Esme. I wouldn't use that tone with her again, either."

"Bella and Carlisle have worked out their issues and have been able to move on from them," said Esme. "It wasn't easy for either of them and it most certainly wasn't fun. You both can act like you care about Bella, and maybe you do, but you weren't there for her when she needed you."

"She wouldn't let us come to New York," said Alice.

"Did she physically stop you from boarding the plane?" snapped Esme. They both flinched back slightly. "Did she?"

"No," they both whispered.

"What about when she was still in Forks?" asked Esme. They both looked up at her. "Yeah, she told me all about her years in school here. How could you just turn you back on her when she needed you?"

"It wasn't easy for us, either," said Alice. Carlisle moved and wrapped his arms around Esme, hoping to keep her calm.

"You have no idea how hard it was to be the dumb sister of the Bella Swan," said Rose.

"Rosie, you were never dumb," I said. She kept her eyes on her feet. "Rosie, look at me."

"They used to call me the dumb swan," said Rose as she looked up at me. She had tears in her eyes. "Until I got my boobs, no one even looked at me. Then all the boys just wanted to get into my pants. The girls all hated me and called me a slut and whore. Who was protecting me from the bullies?"

"They called me the midget swan," cried Alice. "They would enjoy walking down the hall and just bopping me on the head. After you left, they would say 'Look, the midget is crying again over her sister. The brain just couldn't stand looking at her anymore.' I knew it was true."

"Ali, I didn't leave because of you," I whispered as I let my tears fall.

"No, it was because of me," cried Rose as she sat down in the chair next to my bed. "I never wanted you to leave us, Bella. That night with Mark. He had gotten mad at me because I refused to sleep with him because I was supposed to be watching you. He said all I ever did was let you run my life. I told him he could go to hell if he didn't respect my baby sister. I said you were leaving us soon anyway so I wouldn't matter if people picked on me. I said I was glad you were leaving and going to make something out of yourself instead of being stuck in this shit hole."

"Then why didn't you support me when I told you I was going to the academy?" I asked. "I needed your support and neither of you gave it to me."

"We were scared that we would lose you to the job, Bella," cried Alice. "We knew you wouldn't take Charlie up on his office to work here when you graduated. You're our baby sister, Bella. We don't want to lose you ever."

"You won't," I cried softly. "But you have to understand that I love my job. It's who I am. It's going to be really hard to go back to work but I have to. I'm going to need my sister's to support me."

"We will," sobbed Rose. "Just please forgive us for hurting you."

"I'm working on it," I whispered. "It's just going to take some time. I have some others things to work out first, ok? But I would like to try and rebuild our relationship. I just need you to be patient with me."

"We can handle that," said Rose.

"Yeah, " said Alice. "We promise."

"Good," I whispered softly. I shifted in the bed and winced slightly.

"You ok?" asked Edward as he came over and grabbed my hand.

"My leg hurts," I whispered softly. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah," he whispered as he sat on the side of the bed. I raised my hand to his cheek.

"You look tired," I whispered. "Have you slept at all?"

"A little," he said as he looked at his feet.

"Liar," I whispered. He chuckled softly.

"That's cheating," he said. I smiled softly.

"Maybe," I smirked. I patted the bed next to me. "Lay down with me. I feel the need for a nap."

"Ok," he whispered.

Edward laid down next to me, slipping his arm under me gently. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I heard Rose and Alice attempt to make conversation with Carlisle and Esme. They may not ever be friends but hopefully they could put part of their differences aside for me. Edward started sighed softly as we fell asleep.

I was shaken awake sometime later when I felt Edward slip out of my bed. I could heard hushed whispers but I couldn't really make out much. I opened my eyes and noticed that Rose, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward were all huddled together. Something told me this wasn't good.

"What's going on?" I asked. They all spun around and looked at me.

"We didn't mean to wake you," said Esme.

"What's going on?" I asked again.

"Charlie and Renee are out in the hall," said Rose. I closed my eyes for a moment.

"I thought we had a restraining order?" I asked, opening my eyes.

"We do," said Carlisle. "But Charlie seems to think he is above them."

"Son of a bitch," I muttered. "Why can't he just back the fuck off?"

"Bella…there's more," said Edward. I looked back up at him. "He's pressing assault charges on you for punching him."

* * *

**This chapter was hard to write. I had the hardest time trying to get out exactly how I wanted it all to work out. I couldn't decide if Carlisle should tell Rose and Alice about his past but ultimately decided that he shouldn't. At least, not yet. Oh, and Charlie's quite the bastard, huh? Thanks for all the reviews, adds, and/or alerts. You, my lovely readers, are amazing!**


	32. Chapter 32

I just stared at them all for a few minutes while I processed Edward's words. Charlie was pressing charges against me for punching him. My father, who had lied and kept important information from us regarding the crazy son of a bitch who tried to kill me because he had daddy issues, was pressing charges against me. Was there just no end to him making my life miserable?

"He's pressing charges against me for assault," I said, ending the silence.

"Yes," said Carlisle.

"He's a fucking bastard," I muttered.

"He said he will drop the charges if you talk to him and Renee," said Edward.

"He's giving me an ultimatum?" I chuckled. There really was no end to his stupidity. "Fine. Bring them both in here."

"Bella-" started Carlisle.

"No, Car," I said. "If this is how he wants it, then bring it on."

"Ok," he sighed. He went over and pulled the door open. "She said she'll see you."

Charlie and Renee came in to my room. Their eyes darted around at all of us. Renee was sporting a nasty looking black eye. She narrowed her eyes at Esme and scooted closer to Charlie, who had a smug look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak but I held up my hand.

"I understand that you intend to press charges against me for assault," I said.

"I don't want to," said Charlie. "I just want to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you," I said. "I want you both to leave me the hell alone but you can't seem to get that through you fucking heads. Instead, you thought it would be a good idea to threaten me."

"We're sorry," said Renee. I rolled my eyes and looked at Carlisle and Edward.

"Arrest them both," I said. They smiled as they pulled out their handcuffs.

"On what charges?" demanded Charlie.

"How about lying to investigators? Or interfering in a federal investigation, obstruction of justice," I smirked.

"There's also harboring a fugitive since you neglected to tell us about the tunnel that led to your house, or about his father's, oh what you're his father," said Carlisle. "I should say his piece of shit step father's cabin in the woods, and accessory to the kidnapping of an federal agent. Not to mention breaking the restraining order. Let's get them out of here, Edward."

"Gladly," said Edward as they both smirked and they pressed Charlie and Renee against the wall to my room and slapped their cuffs on them. "Charlie and Renee Swan, you have the right to remain silent. If you give up this right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, then one will be appointed to you. Do you both understand the rights that have been read to you?"

"Bella, just let me explain," said Charlie.

"That's not what I was asking, Charlie," growled Edward. "Oh well, let's go."

"Bella, please," begged Renee as she and Charlie were dragged from my room by Carlisle and Esme. Rose and Alice turned to look at me.

"Are they going to be in serious trouble?" asked Rose.

"Probably," I said. "They are lucky that I didn't include threatening an federal agent."

"Wow, Bella," chuckled Alice. "You're kind of scary."

"I know," I said as I shifted as Jessica came into my room. She had a smirk on her face.

"Did I just see Charlie and Renee being arrested?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. She cocked an eyebrow. "They started it."

"Oh," chuckled Jessica. "I need a minute alone with you."

"Esme can stay," I said. Jessica nodded and turned to Rose and Alice.

"You two can wait in the hall," said Jessica. Rose and Alice just nodded and made their way out into the hall, shutting the door behind them. Esme came over and sat on the side of my bed and held my hand. "I got the results from the rape kit back. The semen I found matched Edward's DNA. I didn't find any other indicators that he raped you but you have to know that he could have used a condom while you were out."

"I know," I said. "When can I go home?"

"In the morning," she said. "I would like to get you up out of this bed. I want you to be careful, Bella. It would be best if you didn't return to work for a few weeks."

"I can't do that," I said, shaking my head.

"Bell, you should listen to her," said Esme.

"Es, I can't hide at home again," I said. "I need to be working, even if that means I'm on a desk for awhile. I can't be locked up at home. I just…"

"Ok," said Jessica. "But not on active duty until you come back and I clear you. I'll make sure Carlisle knows this so don't push me."

"Yes, Dr. Stanley," I said. Jessica rolled her eyes. "I promise to take it easy."

"Good," said Jessica. "It's nice to see that you are just as stubborn as ever."

"I'm even more stubborn," I chuckled lightly. "Jess, I've never told you this but thank you for helping me back in school."

"That's what friends do," said Jessica as she stood up. "Besides it's not like you didn't help me. I mean, Erin Walker never bothered me again after you hit her."

"You do know that she had a crush on you, don't you?" I asked. Jessica shuddered slightly.

"Ew, Bella," she grimaced. "That's gross."

"I'm just saying," I said.

"That's going to keep me up at night," she grumbled. She shook her head slightly and looked back down at me. "You've got a good family here, Bella. Be happy. You deserve it."

"Thanks, Jess," I said. "I know I do."

"I've gotta get back to work," she said. "I want you up and out of that bed but be careful, ok?"

"Ok," I said. Jessica left and Rose and Alice came back in. "Hey, can you guys help me out of this bed?"

"Sure," said Rose.

Esme smiled softly as she climbed off my bed and let Rose and Alice in. She understood that right now, they needed to do this for me. Rose and Alice gently helped me slid my legs off the bed, being extra careful with my wounded leg. I had to sit on the side of the bed for a few minutes to stop the dizziness from laying in bed for so long.

After a few minutes, I managed to stand up. My entire body ached. My chest felt like it was going to explode and my leg felt like it was on fire. I took a couple steps and sat down in the recliner that was in the corner.

"You ok, Bella?" asked Esme as she came over and knelt in front of me.

"Yeah," I muttered through the pain. "It just hurts."

"Take a deep breath," she said. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Good girl."

"That feels better," I said as the door to my room opened again. I looked over my shoulder to see Carlisle and Edward coming in. "Did you get them stashed?"

"Yes," said Carlisle. "They are in the local jail. Garrett and Ben are on their way to transfer to them to Seattle. Are you sure you want to press charges?"

"I don't want to," I said as Edward pulled up a chair next to me and grabbed my hand. "But I won't let them push me, either. If I decide I want to talk to them, then it's my choice. I'm tired of them trying to run my life."

"I agree," said Rose.

"Yeah," said Alice. "It's time for them, and us, to support your career."

"Thanks," I said softly. I turned to Edward. "So I'm going back to Seattle tomorrow."

"You are?" he asked. I nodded my head softly.

"Bella, we were talking," said Esme. I looked up at her. "We were thinking that maybe you should come stay with me and Carlisle for awhile."

"That way we can help you get around," said Carlisle. I looked up at Edward.

"I'll be there too," he whispered. I smiled softly.

"You'd be ok with us staying with Carlisle and Esme?" I asked.

"Yes," chuckled Edward. "Besides, I don't think Izzy's going to let you out of her sight once she sees you."

"I'm sure you're right," I chuckled as I looked around. I noticed that Rose and Alice were looking at their feet. "Rose, Alice, you know why I can't go back to that apartment, don't you?"

"Yes," said Rose, looking up at me. "We don't blame you for not wanting to be with us."

"We know we've messed up," said Alice as a tear slipped down her face.

"That's not it," I said. "I can't…he took…"

"Some of the pictures he took of her were taken while she was in that apartment," said Carlisle. Rose and Alice both nodded in understanding.

"Oh," said Rose. "Well, I don't think I want to go back there now."

"Me either," said Alice.

"I'm sure Emmett and Jasper will let you both stay with them," I said. "They love you."

"You think so?" asked Alice.

"I think it's pretty obvious," I said. "Besides, they are going to need you."

"How?" asked Rose.

"Because they are going to feel guilty for what happened," said Carlisle as he settled in a chair on the other side of me. "See, we're more than a team. We're like a family. When one of us is hurt, we all feel it."

"Even with the way they treated you and Bella?" asked Alice.

"Alice, I'm not going to lie and say that I've forgiven any of them for the shit they've put me through but they are good cops. When it comes down to it, I know that they will have my back," I said. "We'll work it out. Right now, you both need to go to them."

"But you need us," said Rose.

"But they need you more," I said. "In a few days, when I'm up for more than this, we'll have lunch or something, ok?"

"Are you sure?" asked Alice. "We don't want you to think we are abandoning you."

"I'm sure," I said, smiling. "Just don't tell them anything about what we talked about earlier, ok?"

"We've learned our lesson about that," said Rose. "We promise."

"Good," I said. They came over and hugged me before they left. I turned to Edward. "I need to lay down."

"Ok," he said.

Edward and Carlisle gently grabbed my arms and helped me stand up. Carlisle chuckled slightly as the back of my gown came open but Esme popped him on the back of the head. I rolled my eyes at him and let them help me hop over to my bed. I sat down on the side and Edward gently lifted my legs up. I laid back and took a couple deep breaths.

"Bella, we're going to go back to the hotel and get some sleep," said Esme as she grabbed my hand. "We'll be back in the morning to take you home."

"Ok," I said softly. "Thank you, Esme, for everything."

"You're welcome, Bell," she said. She leaned down and kissed my check. "I'm proud of how you are handling everything."

"Thank you," I whispered in her ear. "I love you, Esme."

"I love you, too," she whispered. She stood up and went over and hugged Edward while Carlisle sat down on the side of my bed. He entwined his fingers with mine.

"You know this isn't me leaving, right?" he asked.

"I know," I said. "Besides, Esme would totally kick your ass if you left me again."

"That she would," he chuckled before he turned serious. "Thank you for defending me with your sisters."

"They didn't need to know," I said.

"Maybe," he said. "But they are just worried about you. They love you a lot, Bell."

"I know they do, Car," I said. "I'm going to work on my relationship with them but I won't give you up just because they don't understand. You and I have been through too much to let anyone tear our friendship apart."

"I love you, Bella," he whispered. He leaned down and kissed me softly on the cheek.

"I love you, too, Honey," I whispered. I turned and kissed him on the cheek before he pulled back. He went over to Edward.

"If you need us, just call, ok?" said Carlisle.

"I will," said Edward. "Get some rest. You look like shit."

"You do too," chuckled Carlisle.

"I know," chuckled Edward as he ran his hands through his hair. Carlisle and Esme wrapped their arms around each other as they walked out of my room. Edward came over and sat on the side of my bed. "You ok?"

"I would be better if you were laying next to me," I said. Edward smiled softly as he moved and laid down next to me. I laid my head on his shoulder as he held my hand. "Are you really ok with us staying with Carlisle and Esme for a while?"

"Yes, Baby, I am," said Edward. "I know that you need them both, especially Carlisle. He told us about his mom."

"When?" I asked.

"The day we found you," said Edward.

"He shouldn't have had to," I said.

"You're right," said Edward. "But it was hard to understand why you and Carlisle needed each other so much. I knew that with the way he and Esme stopped you from killing yourself that you were close but I guess I didn't really get it until I saw how much you both had been hurting."

"How'd the rest of the team take it?" I asked.

"I don't really know," said Edward. "I think they were surprised with what he'd been through but I, um, was kind of focused on you."

"Did James hurt you?" I asked.

"No," said Edward. "Just scared the shit of me."

"Me too," I whispered. "I thought he was going…I just had to keep him talking. He showed me his rape of Erin Walters. He called her by my name as he raped and strangled her. He's was fucking crazy."

"I know," whispered Edward. "But he can't hurt you again."

"I hope not," I muttered softly before I yawned.

"Sleep, Bella," said Edward wrapping his arm around me. "I've got you now. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Do you promise?" I whispered.

"I promise," whispered Edward as I drifted off to sleep. "I'm never letting you go."

* * *

**So, I don't know about you but I did a little cheer when Charlie and Renee were arrested! I think it serves them right for being a couple of jerks. Coming up next : Bella and Izzy reunite.**


	33. Chapter 33

I'll admit that I was a little nervous as we left the hospital this morning. In the hospital, I felt almost safe. At least, I didn't have to worry about how people looked at me. They mostly minded their own business and went their own way. But out here in the real world, it felt like everyone could see everything he did to me. I just wish I knew what that was.

Not knowing whether or not he raped me while I laid unconscious was very difficult to handle. Part of me, the biggest part of me, wanted to believe that he didn't. I mean, you would think I would know if I had been violated me like that. The woman in me really wanted to believe that. The cop in me knew that most likely, that was a load of shit. He had me for at least three plus hours before I woke up tied down to that bed. Who knows what kind of sick and twisted things he did to me while I was laid out for him.

I just shook my head softly as I sat in the backseat of Carlisle and Esme's car. I had my head on Edward's shoulder and my leg propped up as much as I could. We were almost back in Seattle. We were going to stop and pick up Izzy before we headed back to Carlisle and Esme's house. I had really missed that little girl but I was a little worried that her seeing me hurt would scare her. However, I also knew she needed to see for herself that I was ok. She's like Carlisle in that way.

Carlisle pulled the car up into the drive way of the large white house. Edward climbed out first and helped me slide out. I bit my lip to stop from crying out in pain. My leg was still very sore and my ribs hurt but I was going to try not to show it in front of Izzy. Carlisle handed me my crutches and Edward wrapped his arm loosely around my waist as we followed Carlisle and Esme inside.

Carlisle opened the door and I hobbled in after them. Ed, Elizabeth, and Izzy came out of the kitchen. Izzy looked up at me and her face broke out into the biggest smile I had ever seen on her little face.

"AUNTIE BELLA!" she squealed as she came running at me. I braced myself for the contact but Carlisle swooped her up before she could hit me.

"Sweetheart, we have to be very careful with Auntie Bella's leg," he said. Izzy looked down at my leg with wide eyes and fear written all over her face.

"Did the monster hurt your leg, Auntie Bella?" cried Izzy.

"Yes, sweetheart," I said through my tears. "But we stopped him so he can't hurt anyone else ever again."

"Do you promise?" she asked. She rubbed her eyes and I knew she was getting sleepy.

"I promise," I said. "Will you come lay down with me, Sweetheart? I'm really tired."

"Yes," she said. Carlisle carried her into one of the guest rooms. He set her down while Edward helped me prop my leg up. Carlisle placed Izzy next to me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my side.

"So what have you been doing?" I asked as everyone left the room.

"Nothing," she whispered. "Nana and Papa told me we had to stay here until you came back but they did let me paint."

"Did you have a good time with Nana and Papa?" I asked as she wrapped her tiny arms around me. I closed my eyes as she pressed against one of the many bruises I had.

"No," she cried. "I missed you so much, Auntie Bella."

"I missed you, too," I whispered.

"Tell me a story about when you were little, Auntie Bella," Izzy whispered.

"Um," I said. "Ok. When I was about seven years old, Rose, Alice, and I decided we wanted to go on a great adventure. So we packed up some food in to our backpacks and set out in to the woods out behind our house. Rose said that we were going to be great pioneers and find the lost City of Hope. We spent all day walking along the forest line looking for our lost city. As we were making our way back home, Alice stopped us and we crouched down on the ground. She said 'I think I see it.' I looked around but I couldn't see anything. Rose gasped and said 'There is it. It's beautiful.' But I still couldn't see it. They grabbed my hands and pulled me between them and whispered in my ear, 'Close your eyes, Bella.' So I closed my eyes. Alice said 'Can you see it? It's just beyond the sugar plum hills but before the lollipop forest.' I gasped as the City of Hope floated across my vision. Can you see it, Izzy?"

"Yes," she whispered. I looked down to see her with her eyes closed.

"Go to the City of Hope, Izzy," I whispered.

"Will you come with me?" she whispered.

"Of course I will," I whispered as I closed my eyes. "Show me the way, Izzy."

"It's so pretty," she whispered softly as she drifted to sleep clinging to me. I tightened my arm around her as I fell asleep with her as we drifted off to find the City of Hope.

******

I snapped my eyes open sometime later after having a nightmare about James. Only this time, he had Izzy and I couldn't stop him before he…I frantically looked around the room. Izzy was still sleeping next to me. I closed my eyes and tried to blink back my tears. I didn't want Izzy to wake up and see me upset. It would just scare her.

I heard the door open and opened my eyes. Edward was standing there with a frown on his face.

"You ok?" he whispered. I nodded my head softly as Izzy started stirring. She looked up at me.

"You're really here," she cried as she hugged me. I bit my lip to stop from crying out. Edward came over and pulled Izzy into his lap.

"Don't I get a hug?" he asked. Izzy threw her arms around his neck.

"Of course you do, Uncle Eddie," she said. She turned and snuggled into his arms. "Did you stop the monster, Uncle Eddie?"

"Your daddy and I did with Emmett, Jasper, Garrett, and Ben," said Edward. "Remember, we promised to bring Auntie Bella back."

"I remember," whispered Izzy as she played with the collar to his shirt. "I was scared that the monster would hurt all of you."

"Izzy, let's go get your stuff together so we can go home," said Esme from the door. Izzy looked over at me with wide eyes.

"I'm coming home with you, Sweetheart," I said softly. "So is Uncle Eddie."

"Really?" she asked with wide eyes as she looked up at Edward.

"Really," said Edward. "You had better go help your mommy so we can go home."

"Ok," she squealed. She climbed off of Edward's lap and kissed me before she ran out to Esme. Edward laid down next to me and grabbed my hand.

"I heard you crying in your sleep," he said. I looked over at the wall.

"I was having a nightmare," I whispered. "I was back in the cabin but he had Izzy. I couldn't stop him before…"

"That must have been scary," whispered Edward. He rolled onto his side and turned my face to him. "I won't let anyone hurt you or Izzy."

"You can't promise that," I whispered. "The world is full of monsters just like James waiting to strike."

"I know," said Edward. "But I will try my hardest to keep you both safe from every one of them."

"If something happened to her…" I trailed off. "He could have taken her."

"But he didn't," said Edward.

"But he could have," I said. "All Charlie had to do was tell us about the tunnel or the cabin and we could have stopped him. How could he put all of us at risk?"

"I honestly don't know," said Edward. "I wish I did, Baby. I wish that I had been paying more attention."

"It's not your fault, Edward," I whispered as I wiped the tear that had slipped down his face.

"But if I hadn't needed to be with you…" he trailed off.

"Do you regret being with me?" I whispered.

"No," he said quickly. "Baby, I don't regret anything but not seeing him coming out of the closet."

"Oh," I said, looking away.

"Bella, look at me please,:" said Edward. I turned and looked at him with tears in my eye. "What did I say that upset you?"

"You didn't say anything," I said.

"Ok, what did I do?" he asked.

"It's just…" I trailed off.

"What?" he asked.

"You haven't kissed me since he took me," I whispered, letting a tear slip down my face. "Do you …do you just not want me like that anymore?"

"Of course I do," whispered Edward. "I just didn't want to push you."

"I need you to treat me like you normally would," I said. "I can't take it if you treat me like a freak too."

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't think I was."

"I know," I whispered.

"Can I kiss now?" he asked.

"You don't have to ask," I whispered.

Edward leaned down slowly and pressed his lips to mine softly. I brought my hands up to his face and gently grabbed his cheeks as our lips moved against each other's. I heard a small gasp followed by a small giggle and pulled my lips away. Izzy and Esme were standing in the doorway. Both of them were smiling only Izzy was covering her eyes.

"Mommy, are they done being gross?" asked Izzy. Edward and I chuckled softly.

"Yes," chuckled Esme. Izzy uncovered her eyes and glared at Edward.

"You can't be kissing her, Uncle Eddie," scolded Izzy.

"Just why not?" asked Edward. Izzy rolled her eyes and threw her little arms in the air quite dramatically.

"Because Daddy said we had to be careful with her leg. I think kissing would be too much for her," sighed Izzy. I bit my lip as Esme smirked behind her daughter.

"Yeah, Uncle Eddie," snickered Esme. "Daddy said so."

"Well, I think I'm going to tickle me a little Izzy," chuckled Edward, rolling off the bed.

"NOOOOOO," squealed Izzy as she took off running down the hall. Edward chuckle as he ran after her. Esme laughed as she came over and sat on the side of my bed.

"So," she said. I rolled my eyes.

"It was just a kiss," I said. She smirked as she turned and looked at me.

"It was more than just a kiss, Bella," she said. "That was a big step."

"I just need him to treat me normally," I said. "I don't want him to be scared to kiss me or touch me."

"Just go slow," said Esme. "You don't want to set back any process you have made."

"I know," I said as Edward came back in. He had a big smile on his face that I knew only comes from Izzy.

"Esme, your daughter is quite the firecracker," chuckled Edward.

"I know," said Esme with a smile. "She takes after her Auntie Bella. Let's go home."

"Home sounds nice," I said.

Edward helped me off of the bed while Esme grabbed my crutches. I followed them down the hallway to the living room. Izzy was sitting on the couch on Carlisle's lap. It was sweet to watch him whispering into her ear. Ed and Elizabeth came out of the kitchen and noticed us coming into the living room. Elizabeth came over and gently wrapped her arms around me.

"We are so glad you are ok, Bella," she said. She pulled back and brought her hands to my face. "I hope you know that you are always welcomed here in our home, as a member of our family."

"Thank you, Elizabeth," I whispered through my tears. "That means a lot to me."

"Not as much as you mean to this family," she whispered as she looked over at Izzy. "She was terrified that you were never coming back. She loves you very much."

"I love her very much," I whispered.

"I know, dear," said Elizabeth before she went over to Izzy. Ed stepped up in front of me. I could tell he wasn't really sure what to say.

"How's it going, Ed?" I asked.

"Been better," he said. "Izzy's been a basket case for the past few days."

"So I hear," I said. Ed finally looked down at me.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Working on it," I said. "It's not easy to learn that everything you thought you knew was completely wrong."

"I'm sure it's not," said Ed. "Bella, I know that you've been through a lot in the last week or two. I'm sorry for my part in it before you all left for New York but sometimes as parents, we tend to let our protective nature over throw our practical side."

"I know," I said, knowing that he was talking about my own parents. "But that doesn't make it ok to lie to your children."

"No, it doesn't," said Ed, looking over at Esme and Edward before looking back at me. "They were wrong, Bella, but maybe they didn't know how to handle it any better than you do. I mean it's not like parenting comes with a handbook."

"That's true," I said. "But there are some things that you don't need a handbook for."

"Point taken," said Ed. "Anyway, I'm glad you are ok, Bella."

"You are?" I asked, looking back up at him. "You don't think this proves that your point about me not being able to handle the job."

"No, if anything this proves even more that you can," said Ed. "Every real cop finds themselves in this place at one point of their career, Bella. Maybe not quite to the extreme that you were but we all have found ourselves in the place that we wonder why we do it. But only the good cops can push through all of it and see the bigger picture. For you, at least right now, it was coming and making sure Izzy was ok. Anyone my granddaughter loves enough to fight this hard to see, is welcome in my family any day."

"Thank you, Ed," I said.

"You're welcome," he said. "I just have one favor."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Well, once your leg is healed and you feel up to it," he said. "I would really like to see you take McCarty out."

"What?" I laughed.

"I want to see you take that boy down," chuckled Ed.

"Ok," I chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," said Ed, eagerly.

"You're welcome, I guess," I chuckled. I looked back at everyone. "I'm ready to get home."

Carlisle, Izzy, Edward, and Esme all said their goodbyes to Ed and Elizabeth. We made our way out to the car. Edward lifted me into his arms and kissed me before he placed me in the backseat. Izzy climbed in next to me and snuggled up next to me. Edward climbed in next to her and wrapped his arm around both of us as Carlisle pulled out and headed to his house. I looked down at Izzy, who was playing with a piece of my hair. I would do whatever I had to make sure I am always here for Izzy. I would keep my promise to her.

* * *

**Thank you all for the great reviews. I hope you enjoyed Bella and Izzy's reunion. **


	34. Chapter 34

"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!" screamed Izzy as she threw herself down on the floor. "I WANT TO STAY WITH AUNTIE BELLA!"

"Izzy, that's quite enough," said Esme as she knelt down next to the crying toddler. "Bella is not going anywhere for awhile. Now, you've already missed way too much school so you have to go."

"No," cried Izzy as she pulled away from Esme, who just sighed and dropped her head.

Izzy had been extremely clingy to me since we got back two days ago. She had refused to sleep in her own bed and insisted on sleeping with me. Luckily, Edward was there and didn't mind the three year old that was permanently attached to my side.

"Izzy, if Uncle Eddie and I take you to school, will you be a big girl for me and go without fussing?" I asked.

"I don't want to go, Auntie Bella," she cried as she came over and wrapped her arms around me. "I want to stay with you."

"I know you do, sweetheart," I said softly as I rubbed her back. "I want to be with you too but I have to go to work. I need you to be a big girl and go to school so you get even smarter than you already are."

"I don't need to be smarter," she whispered.

"Izzy, I am not going anywhere," I said softly. "I will be here tonight as soon as I get off work."

"Do you promise?" she whispered.

"I promise," I whispered.

"Ok," she whispered. "I'll go but I want you and Uncle Eddie to take me."

"Ok, sweetheart," I said. "Go get ready."

"Thank you," whispered Esme after Izzy went to get ready for school. Esme sat down in the chair next to me. "I didn't think we would ever get her to go."

"It's fine," I said. "She's just scared. I hope I didn't over step my bounds by offering to take her."

"No," chuckled Carlisle. He was sitting next to Edward. "What ever it take for her to get back into her normal routine. You can take my car since it has her car seat. I'll drive Uncle Eddie's car."

"She needs to get back to her routine," I said, while Edward rolled his eyes over Carlisle's use of Izzy's nickname for him. I thought it was kind of cute. Izzy came back in to the kitchen, pulling her backpack on.

"I'm ready," she said.

"Ok, kiddo," said Edward as he stood up. He went over and picked her up. "Tell your Mommy and Daddy goodbye."

"Bye, Mommy and Daddy," said Izzy as I stood up and grabbed my crutches from Carlisle. "I love you."

"We love you, too," said Carlisle.

"I'll see you when I come pick you up, ok?" asked Esme.

"Ok, Mommy," said Izzy as she ducked her head into Edward's neck.

I followed Edward and Izzy out to Carlisle's car. Edward got Izzy buckled into her car seat before he helped me into the car. He stashed my crutches in the floor board of the back seat and climbed in behind the wheel. He pulled the car out of the garage and headed to Izzy's pre-school.

Today would be mine and Edward's first day back to work. Carlisle had gone in the day after we got back to work on the mountains of paper work that had stacked up thanks to our case. When I asked him how the others were doing, he just said fine. I wasn't sure whether or not to believe him.

Edward pulled the car up in front of Izzy's school. He came around and got her out and pulled out my crutches. I followed them into the school. Her teacher saw us and came right over.

"Izzy, we are so glad you are finally back," said Jane. Izzy turned and clamped onto my good leg. Jane looked up at me and Edward.

"She's having a hard time with separation right now," I whispered. Jane nodded her head softly.

"Izzy, do you have a picture of Auntie Bella?" asked Jane.

"No," whispered Izzy into my leg. Jane looked up at me and Edward.

"I don't have one," I said.

"Neither do I," said Edward. Jane stood up and went over to a cabinet and pulled out a Polaroid camera. She came back over to us.

"Izzy, why don't I take a picture of you with Auntie Bella and Uncle Eddie?" asked Jane. Izzy turned and looked at her. "That way you can have them with you all day."

"Ok," whispered Izzy. Edward lifted her up into his arms and put her between us. She wrapped an arm around my neck and an arm around his shoulder. Jane took the picture and held it out to Izzy.

"Why don't you take this over to your desk," said Jane. "I'll be there in a minute to help you put your things away."

"Ok, Mrs. Jane," whispered Izzy. She turned and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you, Auntie Bella."

"I love you, too, Izzy," I whispered. "Remember what I told you, ok?"

"Ok," she whispered. She turned and hugged Edward next. "I love you, Uncle Eddie. Take care of my Bella today. Be careful with her leg."

"I will, Izzy," said Edward as he set the little girl down. "I love you. You be a big girl, ok?"

"Ok," whispered Izzy. She went over and sat down at her desk. The little boy next to her started talking to her and she showed him our picture.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" asked Jane. I turned my attention to her.

"I'm fine," I said, before I looked back at Izzy.

"Don't worry about Izzy," said Jane with a smile. "I promise to keep her safe until Esme comes and picks her up."

"Is it that obvious that I'm worried about her?" I asked as I looked back at Jane.

"Yes," she chuckled before she turned serious. "Izzy is a very special child, Bella. She loves you so much that if I couldn't see how much she looked like Esme, I would think you were her mother. You both have an incredible bond, Bella. She'll help you through whatever it is that you are going through just as you will help her deal with fears."

"I hope you're right," I said. I pulled out my card and handed it to her. "If she needs me, just call."

"I will," she said.

Edward and I made our way back out to the car. After he helped me back in, we headed to the office. I'll admit that I was quite nervous about being back at work. It wasn't really the job since I would be on a desk doing paperwork for the next several weeks but being around the rest of the team. Edward and Carlisle insisted that they had finally come around and understood everything but I wasn't convinced.

Edward pulled the car up in to his parking space. He came around and helped me out of the car. He grabbed my crutches. He kissed me softly before he wrapped his arm around my waist and we headed inside. We climbed into the elevator and headed up to our floor. The doors opened and we stepped out. We made our way over to our desks and found everyone already there. They all looked up at us and smiled softly.

"Hey, Bella," said Emmett. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I said as I sat down at my desk. Edward pulled a chair over and helped me prop up my leg. "So how's everything going?"

"Fine," said Jasper. "We want to apologize for everything we said or did that made you feel unwelcomed here."

"You do?" I asked. "Why?"

"Because we were wrong," said Garrett. "We should have taken your word that things between you and Carlisle were as you said they were."

"It wasn't our place to meddle in your personal life," said Ben. "I wish we could go back and make everything better but we can't. We just hope that we can start over and move on from this as a team."

"Emmett and I were wrong for using the information that Rose and Alice told us like we did," said Jasper. "Not only did we break their trust in us but we nearly caused you to lose your sisters. We will do whatever we can to make it up to all three of you."

"I see," I said. "Does this also mean you are ok with me and Edward being together and being partners?"

"Yes," said Emmett.

"Yeah," said Garrett. "As long as you both are happy, we don't care."

"Yeah," said Jasper and Ben.

"Well, I guess I can accept your apologies as long as you really mean them. Because when my leg is healed and I go back into the field, and I will go back into the field, I don't want to worry about you not trusting me to cover your asses," I said. They all smiled softly.

"I think we can agree to that," chuckled Emmett.

"Good," I said. I saw Carlisle watching our exchange from his office door. He just smiled and went into his office and shut his door. "Now what are you all working on?"

"Just going through a couple of cold cases. Not really getting anywhere with them though."

"Sounds exciting," I said. They all chuckled.

"Oh, yeah," snickered Garrett. "It's been a blast. We would be more than willing to share the joy with you."

"I'm sure you would be," I said. "But I think I'll pass."

"Such a party pooper," chuckled Ben.

"That's me," I chuckled. They all chuckled with me. I could feel the tension slowly easing away. I looked over at Ben. "How's Angela?"

"She's ok," said Ben as he sat down at his desk. "She's been pretty worried about you but I assured her that you were fine. You are fine, right?"

"Yes," I said. "Is she back in San Francisco?"

"For now," he said, looking down as his face turned pink.

"Oh, boys, look at those pink cheeks," I teased while everyone chuckled. "Someone's in love."

"I am," said Ben, looking back up at me. "I've loved Angela since I was fifteen. When I left for school, I made the mistake of breaking things off with her. I regretted that decision everyday since. So I guess I have you to thank for bringing her back to me."

"That's why I went," I chuckled. "I had to bring you your girl. Didn't I tell you that I was psychic too?"

"No, you neglected to tell us that," he teased back. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"You guys are all such dorks," I snickered.

"That we are," chuckled Garrett. "But you love us anyway."

"Pshh," I said as I looked over at him. "I merely tolerate you."

"You are lying to yourself, Bella," teased Garrett.

"Oh, really?" I asked. "What would you know about reading anyone who lies?"

"Girl, I know it all," he boosted.

"Want to prove it?" I asked with a smirk. He narrowed his eyes at me for a minute.

"Ok," he said.

"Excellent," I cheered. I looked over at Edward. "Find us an agent to test. Someone that none of us know much about."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I am going to prove to Garrett that he can't read anyone," I chuckled.

Edward just chuckled as he picked up his phone and made a call while the rest of us were setting up a small wager on the side. I bet Garrett that he couldn't read whoever it was that Edward called up. He insisted that he could and I couldn't. We each put a little money on it and the others quickly picked sides. Ben, being a loyal partner, sided with Garrett but Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all put their money on me.

Carlisle came out to join us as a moderator just as the elevator opened and a short man with a comb over and a beet gut came out. He walked over and shook hands with all the guys before giving me the once over. I barely managed to not roll my eyes. This would be a piece of cake.

"So what did you need, Edward?" asked the man.

"Malcolm Donaldson, meet Bella Swan," said Edward.

"Pleasure," said Malcolm as he shook my hand. His hand was clammy. "So what do you need?"

"Malcolm, we have a little bet going. See, Garrett thinks he can read you better than Bella can," explained Carlisle. "What we would like you to do is tell us something, anything, and they will decide if you are lying or telling the truth. Can you do that?"

"Sure," said Malcolm, shrugging his shoulders. "Let me know when you are ready."

"Anytime," said Carlisle. I studied the short, pudgy man in front of me as he spoke.

"Ok," he said as he looked around for minute. "When I was ten, I was hit by a car and spent three weeks in the hospital. I broke my left leg and right arm. I got to stay at home for an additional three weeks while my bones healed."

"Thanks," said Carlisle before he turned to me and Garrett. Malcolm shifted his weight slightly onto his left foot. His eyes shifted from me to Garrett and back to me before he dropped them to the floor. "So Garrett, is he lying or telling the truth?"

"That's easy," snickered Garrett. "He's lying."

"Bella?" asked Carlisle. Malcolm looked back up at me for a moment.

"He's telling the truth," I said. Carlisle looked back over at Malcolm.

"Well?" he asked.

"That was a true story," chuckled Malcolm.

"Pay up, sucker," I chuckled as I held out my hand. Garrett grumbled as he placed his money in my hand followed by Ben.

"How'd you know I was telling the truth?" asked Malcolm.

"Easy," I said. "You shifted your weight from your right side to your left. You got used to doing that when you broke your leg. Plus, you made eyes contact with me. People who lie generally don't do that. How old is your baby?"

"He's three months old," said Malcolm. "How did you know I have a baby?"

"You have formula stains on your shirt," I chuckled. "First time parent?"

"Yes," he chuckled. "You're good."

"Thanks," I chuckled. Someone cleared their throat behind us and I turned to see the director of the FBI standing a few feet behind me. "Hello, Director Burkhart."

"Agent Swan," he said. "We need to talk."

* * *

**Thank you for all the great reviews!**


	35. Chapter 35

"Agent Swan," said Director Burkhart, a tall man with dark blond hair and steely grey eyes. "We need to talk."

"Yes, sir," I said.

"Carlisle, why don't you join us?" asked the director.

"Yes, sir," said Carlisle.

I shared a look with Edward before I followed the director and Carlisle over to Carlisle's office. Generally, nothing good happens when someone says we need to talk. It's even worse when your boss, who happens to be the head of the FBI, says we need to talk. So much for my good mood. Carlisle shut the door behind him and motioned for the director to sit in his chair.

"This is your office, Carlisle," said the director. "I'll take this seat next to Agent Swan."

"Yes, sir," said Carlisle. We all took our seats. I could feel the nerves rolling off of Carlisle. That certainly wasn't helping me feel any better.

"How's your leg feeling, Agent Swan?" asked the director.

"It's ok, sir," I said.

"That's good to hear," he said. "I'm sorry that I haven't had a chance to come down here and welcome you properly to Seattle. But I guess, we've all been pretty busy."

"That's ok, sir," I said. "I understand."

"Director, what did you need to speak to Agent Swan about?" asked Carlisle.

"Fine, I'll cut to the chase," said the director. "We have decided not to pursue the legal charges against Charlie and Renee Swan. They are being released."

"Why?" I asked. The director looked over at me. "They broke the law. Why aren't we prosecuting them?"

"Because they aren't worth wasting tax payer money on, Agent Swan," said the director.

"They kept information to themselves that nearly got me killed and you don't think it's worth pursuing because of a few dollars?" I snapped.

"Bella, calm down," ordered Carlisle. I took a deep breath and sat back in my seat. Carlisle turned to the director. "However, she makes a valid point, Director. Charlie and Renee Swan could have prevented the attack on her if they had shared what they knew with us."

"True," said the director. "But Agent Swan should never have been on this case in the first place. "

"Why is that, Director?" I asked, harshly.

"Because you and James Sanders had a history that could have clouded your judgment on this case," said the director. "I'm not saying it did, Agent Swan, but it was a risk keeping you on this case."

"There were no risks," I said "I was able to keep my personal feelings about James Sanders separate from my processional feelings."

"You're not doing a very good job with that when it comes to Charlie and Renee Swan," pointed out the director. "They are you parents. Why are you so eager to lock them away?"

"They broke the law," I said, shifting my eyes away from his.

"Yes, and we have people everyday that do exactly what they did yet we don't prosecute them," he said.

"Maybe we should," I grumbled.

"This really isn't your decision, Agent Swan," said the Director, standing up. "I just wanted to give you a heads up. You're a good cop and we don't want to lose you."

"Thank you, Director Burkhart," I said.

"Please call me Peter," he said. "Good luck with your recovery, Bella. We want to get you back into the field but not until you are ready."

"Thank you, Peter," I said.

"Carlisle, give Esme my love," said Peter.

"I will, Peter," said Carlisle. Peter left, shutting the door behind him. Carlisle leaned back in his seat. "Well, that fucking sucks."

"Yep," I muttered as I stood up. "But I guess that's the story of my life, right? Charlie and Renee getting to do what they want no matter who it hurts."

"Yeah," snorted Carlisle. "Try not to let it eat away at you, Bella."

"I'll try," I said.

I turned and made my way back out to the office. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Lauren Mallory sitting on the edge of Edward's desk. She was leaning into him but he was leaning away from her with a grimace on his face. His body language made it clear that he was disgusted with her being so close. He looked over her shoulder and caught my eye causing his to widen.

"Mallory," I snapped. Lauren snapped her head over to me and an evil smile spread on her face.

"Yes, Swan?" she sneered.

"Get the fuck away from my partner," I snapped.

"What are you going to do about it?" she chuckled. "You're a fucking gimp."

"I can still kick your fake ass," I growled. "He doesn't want you hovering over him like a barracuda."

"What would a whore like you know anything about what he wants?" snapped Lauren. I heard everyone take a deep breath.

"We've had about enough of your shit, Lauren," snapped Jasper.

"Bella is a member of our team," growled Emmett. "You will treat her with respect or we will file an official complaint against you. You can't risk getting another complaint for misconduct filed against you, can you?"

"I can't believe you are siding with her," exclaimed Lauren, throwing her hands up.

"Well, believe it," said Ben. "Bella is too valuable to our team to let a bitch like you cause problems."

"We won't let anyone drag a member of our team down," snapped Garrett.

"Besides," smirked Edward as he stood up and came over and wrapped arms around me from behind and brought his lips down to my cheek while I smirked. "She's the only woman I will ever want."

"You and her?" screeched Lauren.

"Yep," he chuckled.

"Ugh," she groaned. "You can do so much better than her, Eddie."

"His name is EDWARD," I snapped. "It's really not that hard to remember. You are just jealous that he's mine."

"You can have him," she snapped. "He's a fucking tease anyway.

"He doesn't tease me, Honey," I smirked. "He's fucking amazing in bed."

"UGH," shrieked Lauren as she stormed off to the elevator. We all watched as she climbed on.

"I don't think she took the news of me and you very well, Edward," I chuckled.

"No, she didn't," he laughed. "Thank god you came out. I was running out of ways to say I wasn't interested. I mean after the fifth, 'Lauren, I don't want you', you would think she would have understood."

"She's not very bright, is she?" I asked as I sat down at me desk and propped my leg up.

"No," chuckled Emmett. "She already has at least three complaints filed against her for harassment."

"You would think she would have learned after Carlisle shot her down but she didn't," chuckled Jasper.

"I think I need to bleach my brain," I groaned.

"So what did the director want?" asked Edward.

"They are releasing Charlie and Renee," I said.

"What?" asked Edward.

"Why?" asked Jasper.

"Apparently, they don't feel it is worth the taxpayer's money to prosecute them," I said, shaking my head. "It really pisses me off."

"Me too," grumbled Edward.

Nobody else said anything else about Charlie and Renee. Either they could tell that I wasn't in the mood to talk about them or they were all just as pissed as I was because every once in a while I would heard one of them mumble under their breath about our legal system sucking.

It's not like I want my parents to spend time in prison but they started all of this when they decided to threaten me instead of giving me some time to process everything. What did they really expect for me to do when they threatened to press charges on me? Did they think that I would be so scared that I would talk to them and suddenly realize they were just trying to protect me? Did Charlie even realize how much his rejection of James Sanders had fueled obsession with me and what I had?

Just after lunch I was sitting at my desk when Emmett came over and set a tape on my desk. I picked it up and looked at him.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Something you need to see," said Emmett. "I set up a TV in interrogation one for you."

"Oh, ok," I said.

I got up and made my way into the room and put the tape in. I sat down and started it. After a moment the tape started. I watched with tears building in my eyes as James Sanders carried me into the room while I was unconscious. He stripped off my clothes and laid me on the bed before tying my arms and feet down. I could feel my tears falling down my face as he crouched down next to me and just watched me. I could see him mumbling to himself but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Suddenly, he stood up and walked out of the room. I kept watching, waiting for him to come back into room until I started moving on the bed just before I came to. I shut off the tape as I watched myself screaming for help and James coming back into the room.

I just sat there for a few minutes trying to process what I had just seen. Relief washed over my entire body when I realized that he didn't rape me while I was unconscious. I ejected the table and made my way back out to the office. Carlisle was sitting at me desk with Edward. I knew they were waiting to see what I had found out but right now I needed to talk to Emmett about this. I went over and handed him the tape.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I needed to see that."

"See what?" asked Emmett, giving me a look as he pushed the tape back into my hand. "Is this a new movie or something?"

"Yeah," I whispered through my tears. "You would hate it. It sucks big time."

"Then you had better keep it," said Emmett. "We have plenty of others to watch."

"Emmett," I whispered. "Thank you. It …Not knowing was …"

"I know," he whispered. "Nobody but me and Jas has seen this besides you. It's your decision if you want us to process it with the others."

"I don't think so," I whispered.

"I didn't think you would," whispered Emmett. "Bella, I hope this helps you heal."

"Me too," I whispered, through my tears. I placed my free hand on his shoulder. "You may just be ok, Emmett."

"Don't spread that around," chuckled Emmett. "I have a rep to protect here."

"Your secret is safe with me," I chuckled.

"That's a relief," he chuckled. I just shook my head as I turned and went over to my desk. I handed Edward the tape.

"I'm ready to head home," I said.

"Ok," said Edward, as he stood up. "What's on the tape?"

"Nothing," I said. "We can watch it at home."

"Ok," said Carlisle as he stood up. "I follow you home."

"Sounds good," I said.

We gathered everything and headed down to our cars. I climbed into the front seat of Edward's car. I looked out the window as we drove back to Carlisle and Esme's house. Edward seems to know that I just needed sometime to think everything over. He held my hand but didn't speak. I was relieved that I finally knew what had happened in those few short hours that I was unconscious. I felt like I got a piece of my soul back.

Edward parked his car in the drive way behind Esme's and came around and helped me out. He wrapped his arm around my waist as we followed Carlisle inside. Izzy was sitting on the counter next to Esme, helping her cook. I smiled as I watched them together. They were whispering and giggling together. I was a little jealous of the mother/daughter relationship they had. I never had that relationship with Renee.

"How are my best girls?" asked Carlisle as he went over and wrapped his arms around Esme.

"Daddy, Mommy is letting me help her cook," squealed Izzy.

"What are you making?" asked Carlisle.

"Bella's favorite," giggled Izzy. "Mushroom Ravioli."

"Yum," I chuckled as I stepped into the kitchen. Carlisle pulled Izzy off the counter as she tried to jump and set her on the floor. She came over and gently hugged my good leg.

"Auntie Bella, were you careful with your leg at work today?" asked Izzy with serious look on her face.

"Yes, Izzy," I said. "I was very careful. I promise."

"You had better of been," she ordered. "Now, come sit down before you hurt yourself."

"Yes, ma'am," I chuckled. I followed Izzy over to the table and sat down. She wrapped her little arms around my cast and tried to lift my leg up to put it on the chair but she couldn't do it.

"Uncle Eddie, help me," snapped Izzy. Edward, Carlisle, and Esme were just chuckling as Edward came over and helped her lift my leg up into chair. "Thank you. Now, Auntie Bella, you rest while me and Mommy make you dinner."

"Yes, Izzy," I chuckled. "Can I have a hug?"

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes.

She came over and hugged me. I kissed the top of her head before she pulled away and went back over to Esme. Esme lifted her back onto the counter and gave me a smirk as if to tell me that Izzy owned me. I knew she did. She's owned me since the day she was born. Edward lifted my foot off the chair and sat down with my leg in his lap.

"UNCLE EDDIE," screeched Izzy. "Find a new seat, Mister. Auntie Bella needs that one for her leg."

"I'm just holding her leg on my lap, Izzy," said Edward. Izzy narrowed her little eyes at him. He flinched back slightly. "Ok, ok, Izzy. I'll move."

"Scared of a three year old," snickered Carlisle under his breath as Edward placed my leg back on the chair and sat in a different seat.

"I heard that, Daddy," said Izzy. "I'm three and half, by the way."

"Wow," chuckled Edward. "She owns all of us."

"That she does," laughed Carlisle as he sat down in a chair next to Edward.

Izzy told us all about her day at school while she and Esme made our dinner. Apparently the little boy sitting next to her, held her hand all day 'to make her feel better' as Izzy explained. Neither Carlisle or Edward were very happy with this little development, even though Esme and I thought it was cute. Izzy kept talking all the way through dinner. It was nice to see her starting to relax a little and not be quite as scared that I was going away.

After dinner, I sat in the bathroom with her while Esme gave her a bath. Izzy called it our girl time. Once she was clean and in warm pajamas, I convinced her to try to sleep in her own bed tonight. She let a few tears fall down her face but I promised to lay down with her until she fell asleep. We climbed on her bed and I wrapped my arms around her and sang to her until she fell asleep. I kissed her head before I slipped out of her bed and went back out into the living room, where Carlisle, Esme, and Edward were waiting for me with the tape.

"So do we need to watch it or would you rather just tell us what is on it?" asked Carlisle as I sat down next to Edward, who wrapped his arms around me.

"He didn't rape me," I said softly. I heard them all sigh in relief. "The tape shows him carrying me into that room and stripping me naked before he tied me to the bed. He crouched down next to me for a few minutes, muttering to himself like the insane bastard that he was, but then he left until I started screaming for someone to help me when I woke up. I stopped watching it at that point. I don't need to relive the rest."

"How are you feeling knowing that he didn't rape you?" asked Esme.

"Relieved," I said through my tears. "Not knowing if he had violated my body was torture. I kept thinking about everything he could have done to me. I feel better knowing that he didn't rape me."

"That's good," said Esme. "Carlisle and Edward told me about them releasing your parents. How do you feel about that?"

"Pissed off," I said. "It's not like I want them in prison but they are just getting away with everything."

"Bella, when you are ready, you need to sit down with them and talk to them about everything," said Esme.

"I know," I said. "But I also know my parents and they aren't going to wait for me to be ready to face them. I'm scared of what I will do to them when they push me."

"We'll work it out," whispered Edward. "Together."

"Bell, we all are here for you," said Carlisle. "We will deal with whatever shit they come at us with as a family."

"I just hope it's enough," I whispered as I closed my eyes.

* * *

**Thank you for all the reviews. I know that it's disappointing that they are letting Charlie and Renee off but I promise you, I am not done with them yet. **


	36. Chapter 36

"_Auntie Bella," yelled Izzy. "Help me."_

"_Izzy!" I yelled back as I looked around the dark room I was in. I couldn't see anything in front of me. "Where are you, Izzy?"_

"_Auntie Bella, help me!," she screamed again. "You promised to keep the monsters away."_

"_Tell me where you are," I screamed as I tried to run in the direction of her voice. I stumbled and fell to the ground with my broke leg. "Izzy, where are you?"_

"_I thought you loved me, Auntie Bella," cried Izzy. "You promised to take care of me. You're a liar."_

"_I'm trying, Izzy," I cried. "Tell me where you are."_

"_I'm right here," she yelled. "Please help me."_

_I scooted around on the floor trying to find her but all I found was more darkness. No matter what direction I crawled in I found myself coming to one dead end after another while I listened to Izzy screaming for me to help her. _

"_AUNTIE BELLA, PLEASE!" screamed Izzy._

"_I CAN'T FIND YOU," I screamed. "PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE."_

_Suddenly, the entire room lit up. Izzy was sitting on a table about ten feet away from me. I crawled over to her and I was almost there were James came up behind her. He grabbed her and dragged her into the darkness again._

"_Bring her back," I cried. "Bring my Izzy back."_

"_She's my Izzy now," laughed James._

"_AUNTIE BELLA!" screamed Izzy._

"NOOOOO," I screamed as I shot up in the bed. I scrambled off the bed and fell to the floor.

"Baby, it's ok," said Edward as he fell to the floor next to me. He pulled me into his arms as I sobbed uncontrollably.

"He has her," I cried as I fought against him. "Let me go. He has her. I have to save her."

"He's not here," whispered Edward as our bedroom door got thrown open.

"It's ok, Bella," whispered Esme as she came over and pulled me from Edward's arms into hers.

"NO!" I screamed as I pushed her away and curled up on the floor. "IT"S NOT OK. HE HAD HER. I COULDN'T SAVE HER. I COULDN'T SAVE ANY OF THEM!"

"It's not your place to save them," said Carlisle as he got on the floor and crawled over to me.

"It's my fault," I sobbed. "It's all my fault. They all died because he was looking for me. It's all my fault."

"No, it's not," said Edward.

"YES, IT IS," I screamed. "I should have fought harder the first time. I should have stopped him from being able to hurt anyone else. It was my job to stop him. It was all my fault."

"Bella, it is not your fault. He is the only one to blame for what he did to you and to them," whispered Esme.

"My fault," I cried. "Everything is all my fault."

"Mommy?" cried Izzy. I snapped my eyes open and saw the three year old standing in the door way with tears falling and fear written all over her face. "Mommy, what's wrong with Auntie Bella?"

"She just had a nightmare, Honey," whispered Esme as she went over and lifted Izzy into her arms. Izzy climbed out of Esme's arms and came over to me. She laid down on the floor next to me and gently wiped me tears off my face.

"It's ok, Auntie Bella. I'm here now," she whispered. She wrapped her little arms around me as I cried into the carpet. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Do you want me to sing to you?"

"Yes," I whispered.

Izzy tightened her arms around me as much as she could and rubbed my back while she sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to me over and over until I cried myself to sleep. I felt her little lips against my cheek as I drifted off.

I woke up sometime later and found myself back in the bed. I opened my eyes and looked around. Edward wasn't in there. In fact, I was alone. I climbed off the bed and grabbed my crutches. I went into the bathroom and cleaned my face and brushed my teeth. I went back into my room and got dressed for work. I slowly made my way out into the kitchen. I stopped when I heard Edward, Carlisle, Esme talking.

"I woke up with her screaming for Izzy to come back," said Edward. "I tried to wake her up but she just kept screaming."

"We have to make sure she knows that we won't let anything happen to Izzy," said Carlisle. "Right now, Izzy is the glue that is keeping her together."

"I know," sighed Edward.

"Edward, you are doing everything you can to help her," said Esme. "You are there ready to hold her when she needs you. This has resurrected a lot of pain for Bella. She was …"

I tuned them out as I walked past the kitchen door and out to the front porch. I didn't need to listen to them talk about me and how messed up I was. I already knew I was going crazy. I walked out into the front porch and found Izzy sitting on the porch swing with a dolly in her hand.

"Hey, Sweetheart," I said. "What are you playing?"

"I'm playing Mommy," she said as I sat down next to her. "Are you better now?"

"I'm working on it," I said softly. "Thank you for helping me last night."

"You're welcome, Auntie Bella," said Izzy, laying her head on my shoulder. "You helped me when the monster tried to take me. I just wish I could have stopped that monster from taking you."

"Me too," I whispered.

"Auntie Bella, why do some people turn into monsters?" asked Izzy.

"I don't know, Izzy," I said, wrapping my arm around her. "I wish I did. Sometimes, they don't have nice mommy's and daddy's like you do."

"Or you," said Izzy. "When am I going to get to see grandpa again? He was really nice. He played dress up with me."

"I don't know," I whispered as a tear slipped down my face.

"Izzy, come get ready for school," said Esme. I looked up and saw her and Carlisle standing in the door.

"Ok, Mommy," said Izzy. She placed the baby doll in my arms. "You can take care of my baby until I get back."

"Ok, Izzy," I said. Izzy got off the swing and went inside with Esme. Carlisle shut the door and came over and sat down next to me.

"You would look good with one of those," said Carlisle, motioning to the doll.

"Yeah, cause every child wants a crazy mother, right?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"You are not crazy," said Carlisle.

"I feel crazy," I said. "He took everything from, Car. I was finally moving on with my life and he's taken it all away from me."

"He can't take anything if you don't let him," said Carlisle. "You can't keep it all inside either."

"I know," I whispered. "He had her, Carlisle. She was screaming and begging me to help her but I couldn't find her. No matter where I went I couldn't find her. I couldn't protect her from my monster."

"Bella, it's not your job to stop every monster out there," said Carlisle.

"I know that," I said as the front door opened. Izzy came bouncing over.

"Was she a good girl for you?" asked Izzy, taking the baby doll from my arms.

"She was the best baby," I said. "She must have a good Mommy."

"You can be her Auntie Bella too," said Izzy. "That way nobody will her hurt either."

"I would love to be her aunt too, Izzy," I said.

"Good. I'm going to school now. Be careful with your leg, Auntie Bella," ordered Izzy.

"I promise," I chuckled softly. I hugged the little girl. "I love you. Be a good girl at school."

"I love you, too," she whispered. "Daddy and Uncle Eddie will protect you while I'm gone, ok?"

"Ok," I whispered. Izzy kissed my check before she hugged Carlisle and left with Esme for school. I looked over at Carlisle. "She's an amazing little girl. Pushy and slightly hard headed but amazing."

"That she is," chuckled Carlisle. "Let's go to work."

"Ok," I said.

I followed Carlisle into the house. Edward was coming out of the hallway to where our bedroom was. He came over and kissed me softly before we followed Carlisle out of the house. Edward and I climbed into his car and followed Carlisle down to the office. We went up and got settled at our desks and began working on our mountain of paper work.

Just after one, I headed down to the lobby. I was meeting Alice and Rose down there so we could go to lunch. We needed a chance to reconnect. They were waiting for me with smiles on their faces. I followed them out to Rose's car and we headed off to a nearby diner. We settled into a booth in the back. Our waiter came over and took our drink and food order.

"How's it going being back at work?" asked Alice.

"It's fine," I said. "I'm stuck at a desk but luckily the rest of the team is just reviewing a few cold cases. So I'm not really missing any action."

"That's good I guess," chuckled Rose.

"Have you been back to the apartment yet?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Rose.

"Emmett and Jasper went with us to grab some clothes and stuff," said Alice. "We're probably going to just give it up. The lease is almost up and we don't really want to stay there now."

"Are you both moving in with Emmett and Jasper?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes," said Rose, blushing.

"You're blushing, Rose," I chuckled. "I never thought I would see the day that Rose would be the one of us that blushed about a guy."

"I can't help it," she chuckled. "I love him. I'm so in love with him, Bella. He makes me feel like I'm the most important person in the world. It's nice."

"Aw," I said softly. "Plus the sex has to be good, right?"

"It's amazing," she gushed as she blushed again. "The man had some much stamina."

"Ew," I shuddered as I chuckled. "I did not need to hear that about him."

"You asked," chuckled Rose. Alice was shaking with her silent laughter.

"That I did," I chuckled. "So, Alice, you and Jasper?"

"What about us?" asked Alice as she stopped laughing.

"You know what," I chuckled. She bit her lip as her face turned pink. "The sex must be pretty amazing if you aren't talking about it."

"It is," chuckled Alice. "But it's more that just great sex. I love him. He loves me. He said he wants to marry me."

"Wow," I said. "Do you want to marry him?"

"Yes," said Alice with a beautiful smile. "Not for awhile but yes, I do. When we are both ready."

"That's good," I said. "But it wouldn't be easy being a cop's wife."

"I know," said Alice. "I'm learning to deal with his crazy schedule and the danger that comes with it. I've started seeing a therapist that Esme recommended."

"You have?" I asked.

"Yeah, I realized while you were in the hospital that I've been holding onto a lot of resentment towards you, Charlie, Renee, and everyone else in Forks. I know a lot of what has happened between us, Bella, is my fault but I'm trying to work it out so I can be a better sister," said Alice, through her tears.

"I am too," said Rose. "I should have been a better big sister to the both of you. I wish I could change that but I can't."

"Rosie, we were just kids," I said softly. "Maybe I expected too much from you. You know, I didn't want to skip those grades."

"You didn't?" asked Rose.

"No, Renee told me I had to," I said, rolling my eyes. "She said people who think she was holding me back if I didn't live up to my potential. All I wanted was to be normal little girl."

"God, she's such a bitch," muttered Alice.

"Have you talked to them since they were released?" I asked.

"No," said Alice. "They've tried to call a few times but we've been ignoring them. I know we have to sit down with them eventually and talk to them but I'm still so mad at them."

"Yeah, I'm not ready to face them," said Rose. "I might bitch slap Renee like Esme did."

"I heard about that," I chuckled. "Esme is not to be messed with."

"No, she's not," chuckled Rose. "I'm glad you have her, Bella. She really is an remarkable woman."

"She saved my life," I said softly.

"How?" asked Alice.

"A few months after the first attack, I had had a really bad day at work. My partner after Carlisle was a man named John Anders. He was a fucking jerk who made it his mission to push me every fucking day. Anyway, this day we had gotten a call about this little girl who had told her teachers that her daddy had raped her the night before. So, being the only woman cop in special crimes, they sent me and John to talk to her. I held her hand while she told me everything. I won't share the details with you but it was bad. So John and I took the little girl to the hospital, where they confirmed that she had been raped. Her mother came and said she wanted to press charges so John and I went to their apartment to arrest her father. I hadn't been that angry in a long time. The father refused to let us in so we busted the door down because we had a warrant. The cocky ass bastard just smirked as he looked at me and said 'I'm sure you give the boys in blue a good ride, sugar.' I'm not even sure what happened next but the next thing I knew I had the bastard on the ground and I slamming my fists into his face as hard as I could. God, I wanted to hurt so bad. John pulled me off of him and threw me to the side and slapped his cuffs on him. A couple of uniformed cops came in and took the father away. John came over to where I was standing and grabbed my face in his hand and said 'I don't give a shit what your issues are. You're too good a cop to let that bastard bring you down. Go home and deal with it already, Swan.' I just shoved him away and ran out of the building. I just ran until I couldn't run anymore. Eventually I ended up back at my apartment. I pulled the bottle of scotch out of my cabinet and spent the night drinking my pain away. With every drink I could see James face floating through my mind. I could feel him on me….." I trailed off through my tears.

"It's ok, Bella," cried Alice as she grabbed my hand from across the table.

"I just wanted the pain to stop, you know? God, I hate feeling this angry all the time. I ended up in my bedroom. In the corner, just reliving every moment of that night. I pulled my gun and I put it up to my forehead. I don't know how long I had been sitting there when Carlisle and Esme came in. He crawled over to me. I thought I was hallucinating because he had left me. I thought he didn't want me after….he kept saying that James couldn't hurt me anymore but he did. He hurt me every time I closed my eyes. Esme told me to calm down. I looked at her. She was beautiful. She said she was Carlisle's friend. I looked at him then back at her, I knew he had moved on. He didn't love me anymore. She came over as he pulled the gun from my hands and held me while I cried over James, while I cried over Carlisle. She never let me go. She became my best friend in that moment because she was able to let go of the fact that I was Carlisle's ex and helped me. I owe her my life."

"How did you forgive Carlisle for leaving you?" asked Rose through her tears. "You don't have to give us details, just help us understand."

"Carlisle had his own demons to work through that had nothing to do with me or James attack on me. I was able to help him for awhile but I wasn't enough. I won't lie and tell you that it was easy when he left but it was for the best. He and Esme are soul mates. She is the only person who could get him to really deal with what he had been through. I know you don't understand but I can't hate him. I need him. I need Esme. I need Izzy. I need the both of you, and my team. But most of all, I need Edward. Especially right now."

"You have us," said Alice.

"We aren't going anywhere," said Rose. "We will be here however you want us to be."

"Thank you," I said. "I just need my sisters."

Our waiter brought our food and we ate quickly. They drove me back to the office before they headed back to work. I made my way up the elevator to our offices. I stepped off the elevator and headed over to my desk. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the man and woman sitting at my desk. They looked up at me and glared.

"Isabella."

* * *

**Thank you for all the reviews, adds, and/or alerts. You guys are the best!**


	37. Chapter 37

"Isabella."

"Hello, Admiral, Carmen," I said softly as Eleazar and Carmen came over and hugged me. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think we are doing here?" Eleazar asked. "We are checking on you."

"Darling, we were worried about you," said Carmen as she wrapped her arms around me. "We tried to call you several times but we couldn't get you so we finally called Carlisle. He told us about the attack. We flew out as soon as we could."

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry I didn't call. It's been kind of crazy."

"So I hear," said Eleazar.

"Bella, use my office to catch up," said Carlisle.

"Thanks, Car," I said softly. Eleazar and Carmen followed me into Carlisle's office. I took the seat behind the desk and sighed softly as Eleazar and Carmen took the seats in front of the desk. "So what have you been told?"

"Just that James Sanders kidnapped you and nearly killed you," said Eleazar. "Bellarina, what happened after you left our house?"

I sat back and told them everything from our trip to New York, finding out about Charlie's relationship with James' mother, Charlie and Renee lying to me, Rose, and Alice. I told them about coming back to Forks and confronting them about it all. Then I told them about James taking me. I skipped over most of the details of the physical attack I endured but told them everything James had told me while he had me. Then I told them how Charlie and Renee hadn't told us about the tunnel leading into town. By the time I was done, both of their jaws were set tight and I could feel their anger at my parents. I don't think they would be mending any relationships anything soon.

"Son of a bitch," growled Eleazar. "That no good son of a bitch. How could they put your life in danger just to hide their shame?"

"I wish I knew, sir," I said. "They don't give a shit about how I feel, I guess. They never have before so I don't know why I am surprised."

"Now that is not true, Isabella," said Carmen, causing me to tense up.

"Please don't call me that," I said. "James called me that. I don't ever want to hear it again."

"Ok, Bella," said Carmen. "But your parents love you and your sisters very much."

"Yeah, so much that instead of giving me the time to deal with everything, Charlie tried to threaten me with assault charges," I said.

"Assault on who?" asked Eleazar.

"I might have punch him when I got back from New York," I said.

"Did you break his nose?" asked Eleazar, hopefully.

"Eleazar," scolded Carmen, while I nodded my head.

"What?" he asked. "That man kept information to himself that could have helped their case and kept his daughter safe. Instead, he kept it to himself and nearly got her killed because he was too prideful to admit he was wrong. She was not any better."

"He is still her father," snapped Carmen. Eleazar rolled his eyes and looked over at me.

"So he's pressing charges against you?" asked Eleazar, ignoring the glare from his wife.

"I don't know," I said. "I had them both arrested on a handful of federal charges but the men in charge decided they didn't want to prosecute so they let them go. That was a week ago and I haven't heard anything from either of them."

"How are Rosalie and Mary Alice dealing with all of this?" asked Eleazar. They knew how hard things have always been between me and my sisters.

"Not much better than I am," I said. "We've had a difficult time since I moved here. Lot's of old issues came back but we are working on rebuilding some broken bridges. We actually had lunch today which was nice."

"That's good, darling," said Carmen. "You should have your sisters right now."

"Now, where have you been staying?" asked Eleazar. "We tried to call your apartment but you never got an answer."

"I've been staying with Carlisle and Esme," I said. "I can't go back to that apartment."

"That's good," said Eleazar. "They will help you through this again."

"Yeah," I said as someone knocked on the door. "Come in."

"Sorry to interrupt," said Carlisle, poking his head in the room. He chuckled when he saw me sitting in his chair. "You look pretty comfortable in my seat."

"Just getting used to it," I smirked. "You know, for when I take over your job."

"Don't get too comfortable yet," teased Carlisle. "We are all heading out now. Carmen, Eleazar, would you like to come to the house for dinner? I know Esme would love to see you both."

"We would love to," said Carmen with a smile.

"Good," said Carlisle, looking up at me.

"I'll ride with them," I said. "Tell Edward we'll be there soon."

"I will," said Carlisle before he shut the door. Carmen and Eleazar both looked over at me with smirks on their faces. I just rolled my eyes and smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"Edward," said Carmen.

"What about Edward?" I asked as my blush creped up.

"Aw, look at those red cheeks, Carmen," snickered Eleazar.

"Eleazar, leave the girl alone" chuckled Carmen. "Besides, she will tell us everything."

"Edward and I are in love," I said. "He's also kind of my partner."

"What is with you and becoming involved with your partners?" chuckled Eleazar.

"Only two partners, Admiral," I chuckled as I stood up and grabbed my crutches. "Edward makes me feel safe or at least as safe as I can right now. It's been hard but we'll fight our way through this and come out stronger in the end."

"I think you are right, Bellarina," chuckled Eleazar.

"Please stop calling me that, Admiral," I groaned.

"Never," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes as I led them out of Carlisle's office. I grabbed my stuff from my desk and we headed over to the elevator. We made our way out to their rental car and I directed them on how to get to Carlisle's house. They pulled up in the driveway behind Edward's car and we made our way inside, where we heard Izzy giving them the third degree.

"You both were supposed to take care of Auntie Bella today," scolded Izzy. I shared a look with my aunt and uncle, who looked amused. "Now, I would like to know why she didn't come home with either of you."

"Izzy, she'll be here any minute," said Carlisle.

"That's not what I asked, Daddy," snapped Izzy. I could see her with her little arms folded in front of her. She was probably tapping her little foot on the floor like Esme does when she's pissed. "Well?"

"She is bringing friends over," said Carlisle.

"Are they nice?" panicked Izzy. "Are they going to hurt her?"

"Izzy, calm down," I said as I hobbled into the kitchen with Eleazar and Carmen behind me.

"AUNTIE BELLA," she cried as she attached herself to my good leg. "I was so worried about you."

"I know, Sweetheart," I said softly. "But I'm fine. Now, I want you to meet two very important people to me."

"Ok," she whispered as she looked up but didn't undo her arms from my leg.

"Izzy, this is my Auntie Carmen and my Uncle Eleazar," I said. "Carmen, Admiral, this is Izzy, Carlisle and Esme's daughter."

"It's lovely to meet you, Izzy," said Carmen as she knelt down in front of her and stuck out her hand. Izzy looked up at me. I nodded my head and she slowly reached out and placed her hand in Carmen's.

"Hi," she whispered. "Did you take care of my Auntie Bella today?"

"Yes, we did," said Eleazar as he knelt down next to Carmen. "She told us how you have taken such good care of her. You must love her very much."

"Auntie Bella's my bestest friend ever," whispered Izzy. "I have to help keep the monsters away from her because she needs me right now."

"You help me so much, Izzy," I whispered as Carmen and Eleazar looked up at me.

"You need to come sit down, Auntie Bella," said Izzy as she released my leg. "Come on."

"Ok," I chuckled. I followed her over to the table and sat down. Edward helped her lift my leg up in the extra chair while Eleazar and Carmen hugged Esme. Edward leaned down and kissed me softly.

"You ok?" he whispered.

"I'm ok," I whispered.

"So Edward," said Eleazar as he and Carmen came over and sat down with us. "What are your intentions with my niece?"

"Admiral," I hissed. "Knock it off."

"It's ok, Bella," said Edward, grabbing my hand from the chair next to me. He smiled softly before he looked back over at Eleazar and Carmen. "I love Bella very much. When we are ready, I plan to ask her to marry me."

"You do?" I asked with a soft smile. He blushed as he looked back over at me.

"I do," he whispered.

"I might say yes," I whispered.

"Uncle Eddie, do you love Auntie Bella more than me?" pouted Izzy. Edward's eyes grew as he looked from me to her. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, Izzy, I love you and Bella the same amount," said Edward.

"Oh," said Izzy. "Does that mean you want to marry me someday?"

"Um," said Edward, looking back at me. I just smiled at him. "I can't marry you, Izzy, because I'm too old for you. You will have to marry someone younger."

"Ok, like Brian?" she asked.

"Who's Brian?" asked Carlisle and Edward, shortly.

"Brian is my boyfriend," said Izzy.

"WHAT?" snapped Carlisle and Edward.

"Calm down you two," chuckled Esme. "Brian is the little boy who sits next to Izzy. He asked her to be his girlfriend today at school. It's cute."

"No, it's not," grumbled Edward and Carlisle, while the rest of us laughed.

"He's so nice, Daddy," said Izzy, climbing into Carlisle's lap. "He shared his cookie with me when mine fell to the floor. Then he told Gavin to stop pulling my hair when we were on the playground. Please, Daddy, let him be my boyfriend?"

"Yeah, Daddy," chuckled Carmen. "He sounds like a sweet little boy."

"I don't like it, Izzy," chuckled Carlisle. "But I guess it's ok. Just no kissing."

"EWWWWWW," squealed Izzy. "Daddy, that's sooooo gross."

"Good girl," chuckled Eleazar. Izzy turned in her seat and looked at him.

"You are Auntie Bella's uncle?" she asked.

"Yes," said Eleazar.

"Does that make you my uncle too?" asked Izzy. I smiled as I looked over at him. He chuckled and smiled at the little girl.

"Would you like me to be your uncle?" he asked. Izzy nodded her head frantically. "Then I would honored, Izzy."

"Can I be your Auntie Carmen, Izzy?" asked Carmen.

"Yes," said Izzy. "But you have to know that Auntie Bella is my favorite."

"Why is she your favorite?" asked Eleazar. Izzy laid her head on Carlisle's chest.

"Cause she sings to me and she always plays dolls with me. She promised to always take care of me and keep me safe. She's so pretty. I love her so much," whispered Izzy.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," I whispered. "I could really use a hug right now."

"Ok," she whispered. She climbed off Carlisle's lap and came over and hugged me. I pulled her up into my lap and ignored the looks from everyone. I knew I shouldn't have her on my lap but as long as she stayed on my good leg, it was ok. "Auntie Bella?"

"What?" I whispered.

"Tell me a story," she whispered as she nestled into my arms.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Izzy. She was the most beautiful little girl in all of the land. She loved to sing and dance. She was kind and gentle to everyone. One day, while walking through the woods, she came across a girl who was crying. Her name was Bella. She was sad because she had lost her way home and was very scared. Izzy held Bella's hand and took her home where she took care of Bella. Izzy and Bella ended up being the best of friends and lived the rest of their lives taking care of each other," I whispered, through my tears. I looked down and noticed that Izzy had fallen asleep in my arms.

"I'll take her bed," whispered Esme. She came over and picked up the little girl. Izzy barely opened her eyes.

"I love you, Auntie Bella," she mumbled.

"I love you, too," I whispered. "Dream good dreams."

"You too," she mumbled as Esme carried her out of the room. I wiped my tears off my face and looked back at everyone. Carmen and Eleazar were watching me with a smile on their faces.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"You are very good with her," said Carmen.

"She makes it easy," I said. "She's had a difficult time with everything yet she's worried about me."

"She loves you," said Eleazar. "And she's quite feisty. She reminds me of another little girl I knew who was quite feisty. Who could that be?"

"I don't know, Admiral," I chuckled. "Who?"

"You, Bellarina," smirked Eleazar.

"Stop calling me that, Admiral," I groaned while Carlisle and Edward laughed.

"Why do you call her Bellarina?" asked Edward.

"Because when she was four, her mother forced her to take ballet with Rosalie and Mary Alice. During her first recital, she fell off the stage and broke her arm. From that moment on, she was my Bellarina," snickered Eleazar.

"I hate you, sir," I chuckled.

"You don't mean that," he scoffed.

"No, I don't," I said. "Are you going to see Rose and Alice while you are in town?"

"We are going to try," said Carmen. "If they will see us."

"I bet they will," I said.

"I hope so," whispered Eleazar.

We spent the rest of the evening catching up on everything we had missed. Carmen and Eleazar left to go back to their hotel a couple hours later. Carlisle and Esme offered to let them stay with us but they turned them down. We made plans for lunch the next day. I offered to help with the dinner dishes but Esme and Carlisle rolled their eyes and told me I was crazy and ordered Edward to help Carlisle while Esme helped me into the shower. He pouted while we just laughed at him.

Esme helped me wrap my cast so I could take a shower. She told me all about Izzy and Brian while I washed my hair and body. The little boy was smooth. He apparently held Izzy's hand all day today as well. Of course, Esme and I agreed not to tell Carlisle and Edward that part. Once I was done, I dried off and Esme helped me pull on my pajamas. I was already tired of this stupid cast. Esme hugged me before she left me alone.

I climbed on the bed as Edward came into the room. He quickly changed into a pair of pajama pants before he climbed onto the bed. I carefully rolled over and laid my head on his chest.

"So, how are you really doing?" asked Edward.

"I'm tired," I said. "I'm overwhelmed and a little frustrated with my stupid leg."

"I know," sighed Edward. "But you only have a few more weeks with the cast, hopefully. As for being tired, just remember that as long as you are in my arms, I won't let anyone hurt you or Izzy."

"I know," I whispered.

I leaned up and kissed him. He tightened his arms around me and kissed me a little and deepened the kiss. I slipped my arms around his neck. He swept his tongue a long my bottom lips. I opened my mouth and let his tongue in. Edward moaned softly into my mouth and pulled me closer. I felt his erection pressing into me and I flashed to James straddling me while he stroked himself.

"No," I whispered frantically, pulling my lips from his.

"What did I do?" he whispered.

"Nothing," I whispered. "I just got scared."

"Ok," he whispered as he pulled his body away from me.

"I'm sorry," I cried softly. "I just …"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, love," he whispered. "We will move as slowly as you need us to."

"Thank you," I whispered. "I just need some time."

"I will give you all the time you need. We have forever," he whispered.

"Forever," I whispered. "That sounds nice."

* * *

**Thank you for all the reviews. Aren't you glad it wasn't Charlie and Renee? I don't think the team would let them sit there and wait for her. Now, the lobby would be a different story……**


	38. Chapter 38

"We have to be quiet Izzy," whispered Edward.

"I'm trying, Uncle Eddie," whispered Izzy. "Don't drop it."

"I won't," whispered Edward with a chuckle.

I groaned and rolled from my side to my back and opened my eyes. I looked over next to the bed and smiled when I saw Edward and Izzy both standing there in their pajamas with a tray in their hands and smiles on their faces. Well, Izzy was trying to help Edward hold the tray, anyway.

"Good morning, Auntie Bella," squealed Izzy.

"Good morning, Izzy," I said as I sat up in the bed. "What's all this?"

"Uncle Eddie and I made you breakfast in bed," she squealed.

"What did you and Uncle Eddie make me?" I asked, smirking at Edward when I called him Eddie. He rolled his eyes as Izzy climbed onto the bed next to me.

"We made you pancakes, bacon, and eggs," said Izzy. "I told Uncle Eddie that mouse pancakes were your favorite but he didn't believe me."

"He didn't?" I gasped as I looked up at Edward, who was mock glaring at Izzy.

"I did too, Izzy," pouted Edward. "I just didn't know how to make them."

"Whatever," said Izzy, rolling her eyes. "Just give her the tray, Uncle Eddie, and stop being a baby."

"Yeah, Uncle Eddie," I smirked. Edward just chuckled as he rolled his own eyes. He set the try on my lap and climbed onto the bed next to Izzy. "This looks delicious."

"Mommy said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but I don't think that's true," said Izzy as I started eating my breakfast in bed.

"And what is the most important meal of the day, Izzy?" asked Edward.

"Dessert...duh!" said me and Izzy, like Edward was an idiot.

"Of course. What was I thinking," chuckled Edward.

"I don't know, Uncle Eddie, but it's a good thing you have me and Auntie Bella to teach you all of this," said Izzy.

"That is a good thing," chuckled Edward. Esme came in and chuckled when she saw the three of us in the bed together.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Izzy and Uncle Eddie made me breakfast in bed," I said with a smile. "It's quite delicious, even though Uncle Eddie didn't make me mouse pancakes."

"Uncle Eddie," gasped Esme with a smirk. "How could you not make her mouse pancakes?"

"I told him to, Mommy," said Izzy, shaking her head. Edward groaned as he shook his own head.

"I will learn how to make the stupid mouse pancakes for next time," grumbled Edward.

"UNCLE EDDIE!" gasped Izzy, throwing her hands to her mouth. "You said a bad word."

"What word?" asked Edward.

"The S word," gasped Izzy. Edward looked from Izzy to Esme, who was laughing so hard she had tears running down her face.

"Stupid is a bad word, Uncle Eddie," said Esme. "You should know better than to say that horrible word."

"I'm sorry, Izzy," said Edward. "I won't do it again."

"You had better not," ordered Izzy.

"Come on, Izzy," chuckled Esme. "Let's go get ready for school and let Edward and Bella get ready for work."

"Ok, Mommy," said Izzy. She turned to Edward. "Do I need to remind you to take care of her while I'm gone, Uncle Eddie?"

"No, Izzy," chuckled Edward. Izzy just looked at him for a moment before she nodded her head and followed Esme out of the room. Edward chuckled and looked back at me. "I swear, she's acts like she's your mom."

"That she does," I laughed. "But it's important for her to feel that she's taking care of me."

"I know," sighed Edward. He moved the empty tray from my lap and set it on the bedside table before he pulled me into his arms. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Good," I said. "No nightmares."

"That's good," said Edward. "And we're good? I mean, after what happened before we went to sleep?"

"We're good, Baby," I whispered. "I just got scared."

"Ok," he whispered. "I just don't want you to be scared of me. I will never push you for more than you are ready for."

"Thank you," I said. "I trust you, Edward. I just need time."

"I know," he said. "Now, let's get ready for work before the boss comes back in here."

I just laughed with Edward as we climbed out of bed. He went and took a shower while I slowly got dressed. Once Edward was dressed we made our way out to the kitchen where Izzy, Carlisle, and Esme were sitting. Edward went over and put my breakfast dishes in the dishwasher while Izzy came up to me and started checking me over.

"Are you ok, Auntie Bella?" she asked.

"Izzy, sweetheart, I'm fine," I chuckled. "You need to stop worrying about me so much. I promise I am ok."

"I know," she whispered. "I just don't want you to cry anymore."

"I know, Izzy," I whispered as I sat down and tilted her face up to mine so I could look her in the eye. "But right now, it's hard. I'm going to cry sometimes but I'm also going to smile and laugh. Do you know why I can smile and laugh right now?"

"No," she whispered.

"Because of you," I whispered.

"Me?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, Izzy, because of you, your mommy and daddy, and Uncle Eddie, Uncle Eleazar, and Auntie Carmen, and Rose, Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Garret, and Ben. See, all of you are helping me feel better."

"What about Grandpa Charlie and Renee?" asked Izzy. "Don't they make you feel better?"

"Izzy-" started Esme.

"They don't right now but maybe one day they can," I whispered.

"Oh," said Izzy, scrunching up her face. "Are they mad at you again?"

"No, sweetheart," I said. "I think they are just really scared too."

"Oh," she said again. "Well, maybe you should take care of them like you did me."

"Maybe," I said.

"Izzy, it's time to go to school," said Esme, shooting me a soft smile.

"Ok, Mommy," said Izzy. She wrapped her arms around me. "I love you. Please, be careful today."

"I love you too," I whispered. "I promise to be careful."

Carlisle, Edward, and I followed Izzy and Esme out of the house. We climbed into the car and headed down to the office. I wish it was as easy as Izzy made it out so be with Charlie and Renee. I really did but I just can't get over the fact that they lied to me, Rose, and Alice our entire lives about having a brother. I can't believe that they would put our lives, my life, at risk just to protect their secret.

I just shook my head softly as Edward pulled the car into his parking space. We climbed out and headed up to the office. I called Alice and Rose and asked them to meet me for lunch. They agreed to come by and pick me up on their way. I hoped they wouldn't be mad about me Eleazar and Carmen surprising them. They weren't exactly happy with Eleazar and Carmen encouraging me to go to school in New York, either.

"Hey, Bella, I need your help," said Emmett as he came over to my desk.

"With what?" I asked, looking up from my paper work.

"I've been working on this cold case from two years back," said Emmett, taking the seat next to my desk. "A woman was found beaten and stabbed to death out on the highway. We were unable to find any DNA on the body. We know that she was killed somewhere else and dumped on the highway but we can't figure out where. Would you take a look at the file for me?"

"Sure," I said, taking the file from him. "What do you know about the woman?"

"Nothing," said Emmett. "She was naked when she was found so no ID. Her prints had been burned off and we couldn't match her DNA to any missing persons cases."

"Hmm," I said, as I looked through the photos. The woman was very thin. Her skin was ashy looking and her nails were dirty. "Was she raped?"

"Yes," said Emmett. "Multiple times from what we could tell."

"Are you sure there are no other cases linked to this one?" I asked.

"Not that we can figure," said Emmett. "Why? Do you think we have more out there?"

"Yes," I said. "I would guess that our girl was transported from out of state and dumped here. She can't be more than thirty. If I had to guess, I would say she was homeless, which is why you won't find a missing persons report on her."

"Why do you think she was homeless?" asked Jasper as he came over and stood behind me.

"Well, first, look at how thin she is," I said. "My first guess was that he had her awhile but I don't think that's true. I think our suspect had her for a few days, tops. Her skin is ashy and looks waxy, like someone who doesn't eat regularly, but she has a tan line around her neck and arms. Like you would get if you spent a lot of time in the sun and heat. Plus her nails are all short and dirty. Now, that could just mean that she fought back, but other than the ligature marks around her wrists and ankles, she doesn't have any other defensive wounds. Her nails aren't torn or bleeding so my guess was that she was kept drugged and tied down while whoever had her raped her. You need to order a more detailed drug screen of her tissue."

"Ok," said Jasper. "But why do you think she is not their first victim?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure," I said. "But the suspect did manage to drive from someplace pretty warm, like California or Arizona, to dump her here without raising any suspensions, which means they didn't act panicky. Plus, committing a crime of this magnitude is not something that someone just decides to do. They usually work their way up slowly. Chances are they had raped or at least attempted to rape at least one other woman if not more than one. Something triggered them to escalate to bondage and murder. I would run a check of all murders that a similar to this one on the west coast and see what you get."

"Thanks, Bella," said Emmett, standing up.

"No problem, Emmett," I said.

He and Jasper went back to their desks and I went back to my paperwork. Just before one, I gathered my stuff and headed down to the lobby to meet Alice and Rose. They were already waiting for me so we headed out to Rose's car and headed to the restaurant. Rose parked her car and we climbed out. I led them into the restaurant. I walked right past the hostess and headed back to where Carmen and Eleazar were waiting for us. I could tell that they were nervous. I heard Rose and Alice both take a deep, sharp breath from behind me as Carmen and Eleazar looked up at us.

"Bella, what are they doing here?" asked Rose. I turned and looked at her.

"They are here to help me. They are here to help you and Alice, too," I said. They both scowled at me. "Please, just listen to them. For me."

"Fine," said Alice, harshly. "We will listen to them but only because you want us to."

"Thank you," I said.

Alice, Rose, and I took the three empty chairs as our waiter came over and took our drink and food order. No one said anything until after he came back with our drinks. I could feel the glares coming from Rose and Alice.

"Rosalie, Mary Alice, you both look beautiful," said Carmen. Neither of them said anything. "How is work going?"

"Just say what you wanted to say already," said Rose.

"We wanted to apologize for anything we did to hurt you both," said Eleazar. "We love you both so much. We never intended to take Bella away from you."

"But you did," said Alice. "You were the ones who encouraged her to go to New York. She was always your favorite."

"You were always your mother's favorite," said Eleazar. "Renee favored you and Rosalie over Bella from the beginning. She needed us. You needed us too. We know that but we never meant to take her away from you."

"Why didn't you encourage us to leave Forks?" asked Rose. "We hated it there too."

"Rosalie, we tried to," said Eleazar. "You wouldn't speak to us after Bella left. We wanted you both to know that no matter what you decided that we would be there for you but you never gave us the chance to tell that. We are sorry that we came between you both and Bella. I wish we could have done things differently but we didn't. We would just like another chance to be in your lives."

"Girls, we love all three of you," said Carmen. "We are just as proud of you both as we are of Bella."

"You are?" asked Rose.

"Yes, Rosalie, we are," said Carmen. "Your photos are spectacular. I look forward to seeing your spreads in Vogue every month. We also enjoyed your show last month."

"You came to my show?" asked Rose.

"Of course we did," said Eleazar. "We would never miss seeing one of the biggest nights of one of our nieces lives."

"Why didn't come and talk to me?" asked Rose.

"We didn't want to ruin your show by fighting with you," said Eleazar. "That night was about you and we didn't want to take that from you."

"Oh," said Rose. "I guess I can understand that."

"Mary Alice, we are just as proud of you," said Carmen. Alice looked up at her with tears in her eyes.

"You are?" she asked as a tear slipped down her face.

"Yes, darling, we are," said Carmen. "You are a wonderful fashion editor. I see your own style in your layouts."

"I'm trying to get my own fashion line going," said Alice, with a small smile. "I have a meeting next week with Macy's. I am hoping they will want to carry my line in their stores."

"Tell me about them," said Carmen with a big smile.

I sat back in my seat with my own smile on my face as I listened to Alice tell Carmen and Eleazar all about her new clothing line. We all had made mistakes in the past. We all pushed each other away and let our hurt feelings nearly destroy relationships that we all dearly needed. As I sat back and watched my sisters reconnect with Eleazar and Carmen, I knew I needed to sit down with Charlie and Renee. As much as I was dreading it, I needed to sit down with my parents.

* * *

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Rose and Alice have at least taken a few small steps in mending things with Eleazar and Carmen.**


	39. Chapter 39

"Bella, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Carlisle from the driver's seat of his car.

"Not really but I think I have to," I said, looking out the window from my seat in the back. "I have to have closure if I am really going to move on from this. It's been nearly six weeks since that day and…. I just have to have closure."

"Car, drop it," said Esme, from her seat in the front next to him. Edward tightened the grip he had on my hand.

We were heading from Seattle back to Forks. It's been a month since I came to the decision that I needed to talk to my so called parents but I've been putting it off. Carmen and Eleazar offered to come with us but I knew that would only cause more problems so they went back to DC. I appreciated their support but honestly, Eleazar was so disgusted with Charlie and Renee that I think he would have hurt them. So was Carmen, even if she didn't vocalize it the way the Admiral did. I also knew it was more than just the fact that they had lied to us about James. Not many people knew this but Eleazar and Carmen had tried for a baby for years but were unable to have one. That's why they always considered me, Rose, and Alice to be like theirs. They couldn't understand why Charlie and Renee could just throw James away like they did.

Rose, Alice, Carmen, and Eleazar were really working on rebuilding their relationship. I don't think Rose and Alice knew how much Carmen and Eleazar knew about their lives and their dreams. I was glad that my aunt and uncle were making the effort instead of waiting for Alice and Rose to come to them. I turned and looked at the car following us.

Rose and Alice, as well as Emmett and Jasper, were coming with us to talk with Charlie and Renee. They weren't anymore excited about this than I was but we agreed for closure sake, we needed to do this and we needed to do this together. Since Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Carlisle, and Esme were such a huge part of our lives now, we asked them to come with us for support. It had been hard to convince Izzy to stay with Ed and Elizabeth while we went to Forks. She was getting better about giving me some space but I knew she was thinking about the last time she stayed with her Nana and Papa. We also didn't tell her that I going to see Charlie and Renee. She had asked about them a couple more times but I didn't want to get her hopes up that everything would be ok.

It made me smile at the thought that Rose and Alice finally forgave Carlisle for leaving me. They called him about a week after our lunch with Carmen and Eleazar and asked him to meet them for lunch. Carlisle was understandably nervous but he agreed to meet them. I'm not sure what exactly happened just that when he came back to work his eyes were a little red and he said they had worked everything out. I was skeptical until they, Kate, Angela, and the team came over to celebrate Izzy's birthday last week. When I saw how relaxed they were with each other, I knew he was right. I didn't need to know the details. That was between them. I was just glad they were able to move past everything.

I chuckled inwardly at the thought of Angela coming back to Seattle. She had opted to skip her graduation and come back early. She and Ben missed each other so much it was kind of gross but I was happy for them. They had lost each other once because Ben was an idiot and nearly lost each other forever when James went after her, but they were able to slowly rebuild their relationship.

I sighed softly as Carlisle pulled the car up in front of the Forks hospital. This was the only part of the trip down to Forks that I was looking forward to. I was finally getting the stupid cast off my leg. I guess that's one of the reasons that I was able to make the decision to confront Charlie and Renee today. Might as well do it while we were already here. Edward, Carlisle, Esme, and I climbed out of the car. The others were going to wait out here for us. We made our way inside and found Jessica waiting for us just inside the waiting room with a big smile on her face and a tall blond with her arms around her.

"Emma!" I squealed as I hobbled over and hugged Jessica's girlfriend. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, sugar," she chuckled as she pulled away. "You look like shit."

"I know," I said.

"No seriously, sugar, you look good," said Emma. She looked past me and smirked. "I'm guessing pretty boy back there is why you look so happy."

"He is pretty, isn't he?" I smirked as I turned and looked at Edward, who was blushing while Carlisle and Esme laughed. "Emma Gregory, I would like you to meet Edward Mason."

"It's nice to meet you, Edward," said Emma with a smile. "Hurt my girl and I will kick your ass."

"If I hurt her, you won't need to because she can kick my ass herself," chuckled Edward. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"I like him, Bella," chuckled Emma. "He's feisty. I bet he keeps you on your toes."

"That he does," I chuckled as I turned to Emma. "You can't have him. He's mine and you have your own feisty little plaything."

"That I do," smirked Emma while Jessica blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Ok, enough flirting you two," chuckled Jessica. She turned to Emma. "I'll be home in about an hour, ok?"

"Ok," said Emma. She leaned down and kissed Jessica. "I love you, sugar."

"Love you, too," said Jessica.

I hugged Emma once more before she left. Edward and I followed Jessica to a room in the back He helped me climb into the table. Jessica carefully removed my cast. She sent me down for another x-ray to make sure it was healed. She came back a few minutes later with my films in her hands. She put them up on the board and turned back to me.

"Well, it looks like the break is healed but I think you should wear a brace for a couple weeks just to help build up your leg muscles," said Jessica.

"Ok," I said. "When can I go back into the field?"

"If you feel up to it in two weeks, I will release you but I want you to make sure that you are physically ready," said Jessica.

"I will," I said. Jessica just nodded and attacked the brace to my leg, making sure it was tight but not too tight. She sat down on her stool and looked back up at us.

"So how are you really doing?" she asked.

"I'm ok," I said. "It's been hard to move past everything but I've been talking through all my panic attacks with Esme, Carlisle, or Edward. I've had a few nightmares but they are getting better."

"Ok," said Jessica. "What about sex between the two of you?"

"We haven't …." I trailed off. "I'm still scared. I do know that he didn't rape me but I still…"

"Are you talking about it?" asked Jessica.

"Yes," I said with a smile. "Edward and I have kissed a lot but every time….I just need some more time."

"I'm willing to give her as much time as she needs," said Edward. Jessica smiled and stood up.

"Good, because Emma wasn't kidding when she said she would kick your ass if you hurt her," said Jessica.

"I believe her," chuckled Edward.

"Ok, well, I guess you are done here," said Jessica. "I'll talk to you in a couple weeks, ok?"

"Ok, thanks, Jess," I said, climbing off the table.

"You're welcome," she said.

Edward and I followed her out to the waiting room. I hugged her before we followed Carlisle and Esme back out to the car, ignoring the catcalls coming from Emmett and Jasper. They had gone from annoyingly rude to just plain annoying but I secretly didn't mind. Especially since they loved my sisters they way they do.

We climbed back into the car and headed out to the house with the others following us. We pulled up in the driveway and climbed out. We headed up the porch and rang the door bell. A few minutes later, the door got pulled open and I found myself face to face with Charlie. He looked like shit. His hair was a mess and he had lost some weight. He just stared at me for a split second before he looked around at everyone then turned his eyes back to me.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked.

"I need to talk to you and Renee," I said.

"Why now?" he asked. "We tried to talk to you but you made it clear you didn't want to talk to us?"

"I wasn't ready then," I said. "If you don't want to talk to us them we can leave."

"No," he said quickly, grabbing my arm. I pulled my arm out of his grip. "Please don't leave."

"Can we come in?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, stepping out of the way. The eight of us made our way inside the house. Charlie shut the door behind us and led us unto the living room. "I'm just going to get Renee."

He turned and ran up the stairs. We sat down and Edward wrapped his arm around my waist. Rose and Alice were sitting next to me. A few minutes later, Charlie came back down with Renee following him. She didn't look any better than he did. Her hair was matted and dirty looking. Her clothes were hanging on her and there were dark circles under her eyes from not sleeping. She and Charlie sat on the chaise across from us.

"How are you girls?" asked Renee.

"We've been better," said Alice.

"Yeah," said Rose.

"I've personally been through hell, Renee," I said. She flinched slightly when I called her by her first name but right now she wasn't my mother and I couldn't call her that. "And you?"

"Not great," she said softly.

"I suppose not," I said. "Look, I'm not really sure how to start this."

"We never meant to hurt you girls," said Charlie.

"But you did," said Alice. "You lied to us, Charlie. You had a kid out there that you abandoned. How could you do that?"

"I was afraid that he would hurt Isabella," said Charlie. I clenched my fists together.

"Don't call me that," I muttered, harshly. "My name is Bella."

"I'm sorry, Bella," said Charlie. "I was afraid he would hurt you."

"That is a load of shit," I said. "You were too embarrassed that your little secret would come out and everyone would know that you abandoned him when he was born."

"I didn't know," he said Charlie.

"How could you not even think there was a chance that he was yours?" I snapped. "It's not hard to figure out that nine months after you fucked her and she pops out a baby, that he might be yours."

"She was with another man," insisted Charlie.

"But you had still fucked her," I snapped. "You're not stupid, Charlie. You know how it works. You knew he could be yours from the beginning and you left him to turn into a monster."

"I didn't make him that way," snapped Charlie. "I didn't hurt him. I tried to save him when you told me that he had been abused, Bella."

"But you just let him go with his crazy bitch of a mother. Why didn't you take him in then? And don't use me as your excuse," I yelled.

"Bella, you don't know what I found in his room," said Charlie. "He had pictures of you from the yard, at school, from inside the house. He had letters where he had declared his love for you. He was ten years old for god sake. He was obsessed with you and I couldn't let him hurt you. You were my Bella. I couldn't lose you."

"You never cared about me," I said. He and Renee both gasped softly.

"Do you really think that?" asked Renee.

"Yes," I said. "All I've ever heard from either of you is how I wasn't enough like Rose and Alice."

"You never cared about any of us," said Rose. "Alice and I were never smart enough for you."

"We never wanted you to be like each other," said Renee. "We just wanted you to live up to your potential."

"Like forcing me to skip four grades," I said, leaning back on the couch and crossing my arms in front of me.

"I didn't want you to be bored," said Renee.

"I was bored anyway," I said. "But that's not the point. I wasn't emotionally ready at the age of seven to be going to school with kids in their teens. You have no idea what I went through everyday at school. What Rose and Alice went through everyday at school. I told you that I didn't want to move up so many grades but you told me that I had to because people would think you were holding me back."

"I'm sorry," said Renee. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Bella."

"But you did," I said. "You never supported anything that I wanted to do in my life. When I told you I wanted to go to school in New York, you both told me that I wasn't ready to make that decision for myself."

"You were fourteen, Bella," said Charlie. "And you wanted to go to school on the other side of the country. I don't understand why you couldn't just go to UW."

"Because nearly all the assholes in my graduating class were going to UW," I said. "I suffered through seven years of torment from them, why would I put myself through more?"

"Fine but why New York?" asked Renee.

"Because I wanted to get as far away from here as I could," I said. "I hated it here. I hated coming back here for holidays, too."

"You mean you hated us," said Charlie.

"No," I said. "I don't hate you, Charlie. I don't like you very much right now but I don't hate you. I'm hurt that you would risk my life. I'm hurt that you would lie to us. I'm hurt that instead of giving me time to deal with nearly being raped and beaten to death, that you would threaten me to try to get me to talk to you."

"You had us arrested by them," muttered Charlie, gesturing to Carlisle and Edward.

"Their names are Carlisle and Edward," I said. "I wouldn't have had you arrested if you hadn't been a selfish son of a bitch."

"I lost my job because of that," said Charlie.

"I nearly lost my life," I said. "So I'm pretty sure I paid the bigger cost here."

"True," muttered Charlie. "I just wanted you to talk to me."

"I just wanted to hurt you," I said. He looked up at me with wide eyes. "I had never been so full of rage as I was when I found out that you lied to me, Charlie. You have no idea how hard the last six years have been since James first attacked me. I've spent so many nights just trying to get him out of my head. I would wake myself up screaming in the middle of night because I could still feel him on me. I'm not saying that it's your fault, because I don't think it is. I had just started dealing with his return to my life when I found out that he was your son. I was so fucking mad that you wouldn't tell me after what I told he did to me, Charlie. You had to have known that I would find out."

"I hoped you wouldn't," cried Charlie, as my own tears fell down my face. "I was so ashamed that he had hurt you. I knew it was my fault. I knew I was to blame for all of it but I couldn't tell you cause I knew you would hate me. I wish I could take it back and make everything all better."

"But you can't," I said, wiping the tears off my face. "Look, I don't want to lose you both but right now, I am really struggling with forgiving you for everything."

"Just give us a chance to make it up to you," said Renee, through her tears. "I don't want to lose my daughters."

"I think we are willing to try," said Rose. "But it won't be easy."

"You and Charlie need to understand that we need time," said Alice. "We are working on rebuilding our relationship as sisters and we are willing to try to at least try to be friends."

"We accept that," said Charlie.

"Charlie, Renee, I know that you probably don't give a shit about what I think right now," said Esme. "But I think it would be a good idea for you both to find a therapist to talk to. You both have a lot of guilt to work through. I can recommend a couple people if you would like me to. Maybe eventually, the five of you could try family therapy."

"That would nice," said Renee. "Thank you, Esme."

"We could give it a try," said Charlie. He took a deep breath and looked up at Carlisle. "I, um, owe you an apology, Carlisle, for everything I said to you. I know that you love Bella and I'm grateful that she has you in her life."

"Thank you, Charlie," said Carlisle. "I appreciate it. I would like to apologize for leaving Bella the way I did. I was wrong for leaving the way I did but I didn't know how to handle everything either."

"We should go," I said, standing up.

"So soon?" asked Charlie.

"Izzy will not be happy if we don't get back soon," I chuckled. "She's a tad bit overprotective of me right now."

"Is she ok?" asked Charlie.

"She's getting there," I said. "She misses her Grandpa Charlie, though."

"I miss her too," said Charlie.

"Well, maybe we can bring her with us next time," said Esme with a soft smile. "Or you could stop by our house in Seattle next time you are there."

"We would like that," said Renee. "She's an amazing child. You and Carlisle have done a great job with her."

"Thank you, Renee," said Carlisle. "Although, I think she listens better to Bella, than to us."

"She does," I chuckled softly. "I'll call you in a few days, ok?"

"Ok," said Renee.

"Maybe we can have lunch or something soon," said Rose. "Just us."

"That would be nice," said Charlie. "Be careful."

"We always are," chuckled Alice.

We headed back out to the cars and climbed in. I turned and watched Charlie and Renee as they stood on the porch as we drove away. I turned back around and laid my head on Edward's shoulder as we headed back to Seattle. At least, this was a start.

**

* * *

**

Thank you for all the reviews over the last couple of chapters.


	40. Chapter 40

"Let's go, Swan," said Edward.

"Don't want to, Mason," I pouted as I crossed my arms in front of me.

"I don't really care," he smirked. "You agreed to come with me."

"You tricked me," I said.

"Like I, a simple man, could trick a beautiful genius like you," smirked Edward. I rolled my eyes.

"You dazzled me with your nice ass," I grumbled.

"Ok, I might have done that," chuckled Edward. "But you promised you would come with me."

"Fine," I sighed as I held out my hands and let him pull me off the couch.

I followed Edward out to the car and sighed happily as I climbed into the car. I wasn't really upset. I just like being difficult. Edward and I were on our way to meet Ed and Elizabeth for lunch. I liked Edward's parents but, honestly, dinner with the parents was always going to cause me to tense up. It's just how the world worked. When you are having any meal with your boyfriends parents, you tense up. I'm pretty sure it's a law or something.

Edward pulled the car into the parking lot of Italian place where we were meeting them out. Edward and I climbed out of the car and I sighed happily again to have my leg free of the brace that had been on it for two weeks. Jessica and Emma came to me this time, since they were celebrating an anniversary, and Jessica released me back into the field. Just in time for a break and Emmett and Jasper's cold case.

"_We got a tip that our suspect is held up in a hotel on the interstate. The man who runs the front desk said that he thought he saw a body in the trunk of our suspects car. He also said that has seen this guy at least four other times. All the dates match those where we found a body," explained Emmett._

"_The guy registered under the name Stan Brown. He's considered to be arms and dangerous. Seattle SWAT is coming in as backup but we are going in first," said Jasper. "Any questions?"_

"_Let's go," said Carlisle since nobody spoke up. He came over to me and held out my gun and badge. "You sure you're ready for this?"_

"_Yes," I said._

"_Ok," he said with a smile. "Let's go."_

_I tucked my gun into my pants and followed them down to the van. I could feel the tension flowing off of everyone as we pulled up in front of the hotel. It looked like one of those seedy little by the hour places. We quietly climbed out of the van and headed up to the second floor, where our suspect was located.. Carlisle sent me, Edward, Garrett, and Ben around to the back with a handful of SWAT guys in case he tried to run._

"_FBI, OPEN UP," Jasper yelled, from the front. _

_We could hear someone moving inside and a loud crash as someone broke through some glass. We looked up and saw the suspect running down the fire escape. He jumped down and took off running. I took off running after him with Edward right on my tail. I ran up to him and pulled the guy to the ground and slapped my cuffs on him._

"_I didn't do anything," said the man calling himself Stan Brown._

"_Then why were you running?" I asked as I stood up and pulled him to his feet._

"_Because I was scared," he said. _

"_I hear committing murder does that to a person," I said as I passed him over to one of the SWAT guys. _

_They all just chuckled while they read him his right and led him to the front of the hotel were the squad cars were waiting. Edward and I followed them around to the front and found the rest of our team waiting for us with smiles on their faces. I just ignored them. We went over and popped the trunk of his car and found the body of a young woman. I looked back at Stan._

"_So you did nothing, huh?" I asked. "Did she just magically turn up dead in the trunk of your car?"_

_Stan just glared at me before they loaded him into the back of the squad car. We processed the car after they loaded the dead woman up and took her to the morgue. _

We were able to link Stan Brown, whose real name was Colby Wright, to the murders of six women from California. I was able to prove to everyone, but mostly to myself, that I was able to go back into the field and do my job. I will admit that it felt great.

I followed Edward inside the restaurant and to the table in the back where Ed and Elizabeth were waiting for us. They had come by Carlisle and Esme's a few times after the attack but I wasn't really up to talking to them very much. I was hospitable but I was dealing with too much shit to try to be the good girlfriend and entertain the parents. They seemed to understand. Anyway, they called a couple days ago and managed to convinced Edward that we needed to get together for lunch so they could get to know me properly. I really wasn't sure what that meant but I agreed to come.

"Bella, dear, you look fantastic," gushed Elizabeth as she hugged me.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. You look beautiful," I said softly. I pulled away and immediately found myself in Ed's strong arms. "Need to breath, Ed."

"Oh, sorry," he chuckled as he pulled back. "I forget my own strength sometimes."

"It's ok," I chuckled as we sat down. "I just didn't want to have to hurt you."

"So, Bella, how have you been doing?" asked Elizabeth.

"I'm great," I said as our waiter came over. He couldn't have been more than eighteen. He looked right down at my breasts and stared until Edward and Ed both cleared their throats, causing him to jump about five feet in the air.

"What can I get you to drink?" he squeaked out.

"I'll take water," I said with a smirk.

"Same for me," said Elizabeth. She was fighting her own smirk as Ed and Edward just glared at the poor kid.

"For you, sir?" the kid asked Ed.

"Tea," growled Ed, through clenched teeth.

"Same for me," snapped Edward. Our waiter just nodded his head and scurried away. Elizabeth and I just started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," I chuckled. "I love the caveman act you two have going."

"What?" they asked together while Elizabeth just laughed.

"Seriously, you two," she teased. "With the way you were acting you would have thought that he was pulling her shirt off right here."

"He was with his eyes," muttered Edward. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah," grumbled Ed. "He should have more respect for women than that."

"Right," said me and Elizabeth at the same time. Our waiter came back with our drinks. He seemed to be struggling not to look at me at all as he took our order. Once he was gone, I turned back to Ed.

"You know, Ed," I said. "For a man who made himself pretty clear about my ability to handle myself, you sure are pretty overprotective of me."

"So," he mumbled. "Excuse me for watching out for you."

"Why do you need to watch out for me?" I asked, curiously. He shook his head slightly and looked up at me. His brown eyes were soft and caring.

"Cause I think you're cool," he said softly.

"You think I'm cool?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes," said Ed, rolling his eyes. "Anyone who can take McCarty down, tame my boy here, and love Izzy the way you do, is pretty cool in my book."

"Thank you, Ed," I said. "I think you're kind of cool, too."

"You do?" he asked. I nodded my head. "Why?"

"First of all, you can admit that you were wrong for how our first meeting went. Definitely get a check mark in my book for that," I said. "Secondly, you let Izzy put make-up on you last week. Any man who would let a four year old give him a make-over is both crazy and totally cool. And lastly, you took care of my Izzy when she needed you. That tops it all, Ed."

"I would do anything for you and her, Bella," said Ed, patting the top of my hand.

"Mom, I think Dad might be in love with Bella," chuckled Edward.

"I think you are right, Edward," teased Elizabeth. Ed and I both rolled our eyes.

"You both are being ridiculous," I chuckled. "It's merely a crush."

"Yeah," teased Ed as he brought Elizabeth's hand to his lips. "You will always be my favorite lady."

"Next to Izzy," said Elizabeth with a smile.

"Next to Izzy," chuckled Ed. "I just can't say no to that little girl."

"None of us can, Ed," I said with a smile. "I think she knows it."

They just laughed and agreed with me as our waiter brought our food. We spent the next hour just talking while we ate. We really didn't talk about anything major. It felt nice to just relax and get to know them both. They were really great people, and I felt like they were two more people I could add to the list of those I considered to be my family.

Ed told me more about his private security business he started after he retired from the force. I teased him a little about not being a real cop anymore. He just rolled his eyes at me. Elizabeth told me about a few of the charities she works with. It was clear that she had huge heart for those in need. I could see who Esme gets her caring nature from.

After we were done eating, I hugged them both goodbye and climbed into the car with Edward. Instead of driving us back to Carlisle and Esme's house he drove us to the pier where we went on our first date. He came around and helped me out of the car. Edward held my hand as we walked down to our bench and sat down.

"So lunch wasn't too bad, was it?" he asked.

"No, it wasn't," I chuckled. "I love your parents, Edward. Especially your dad."

"Oh, I know," he teased. "They love you too. They've been so worried about you and Izzy."

"And you," I said, laying my head on his shoulder.

"And me. Must be a parent thing," he sighed. "So, I've been thinking about something."

"What?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"I want you to move in with me," he said.

"Like into your house?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes," he said with a smile. "I don't want to ever spend another night away from you. We are already living together at Esme's but I want you to move into my house."

"Ok," I said with a smile.

"You'll move in with me?" he asked as a breathtaking smile popped up on his face.

"Yes, I will but on one condition," I said.

"Ok, what?" he asked warily.

"You have to tell Izzy that we are leaving," I said, seriously. All the color drained from Edward's face.

"Alone?" he asked.

"I'll be there but I can't be the one who tells her that we are moving back to your house," I said.

"Fine," he said. "I can take one for the team."

"You're a good man, Edward," I chuckled. "Even if you are scared of a four year old."

"But she's a scary four year old," he whined.

"That she is," I chuckled. "When can I move in?"

"As soon as you are ready," said Edward, seriously.

"I'm ready now," I said. "I have to move on with my life and I don't think I can do that if I keep hiding out at Carlisle's."

Edward and I sat on the pier for a little while longer before we headed back to the car. We didn't say much on the car ride home. I knew Edward was a little scared of how Izzy would deal with us leaving but I just knew it was time. I had to move on with my life and this was a big step for me. No, this was a big step for us.

Edward parked his car in the driveway and we headed inside. Carlisle and Esme were sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper when we came in. We went over and sat down with them.

"How was lunch?" asked Esme.

"It was fine," I said. "Ed and Edward turned caveman on us when the waiter stared at my boobs."

"Carlisle does the same thing when we go out," snickered Esme.

"Oh, I know," I chuckled, while Carlisle and Edward rolled their eyes. "Remember that guy in New York? I though he was going snap that one guy's neck."

"Me too," chuckled Esme.

"He shouldn't have been looking at her like she was a piece of meat," muttered Carlisle.

"Anyway, Bella and I wanted to talk to you both about something," said Edward. They both looked up at him.

"Ok," said Carlisle slowly. "What?"

"Bella's agreed to move in with me," said Edward. "We've decided it's time for us to leave here."

"WHAT?" screamed Izzy. We snapped our heads around and saw Izzy standing in the door with tears running down her face. "You can't leave me, Auntie Bella. You promised to always take care of me. You promised."

"Sweetheart, I'm not leaving you," I said as I went over and knelt down in front of her. "I will always be here for you but right now I am going to go stay with Uncle Eddie at his house."

"Why can't you and Uncle Eddie just stay here with me?" she cried. I sat down on the floor and pulled her into my lap.

"Because Uncle Eddie and I have to start living our lives again," I whispered. "In order to that, we need to spend some time together, just the two of us."

"But I need you," she cried.

"I know, sweetheart," I whispered through my tears. "I need you too. I will always be here for you, just like I was before the monster hurt me. I couldn't be taking this step if you hadn't helped me so much."

"I did?" she asked, through her tears.

"Yes, you did," I whispered. "You made me feel like I could get through everything. You're my hero, Izzy."

"I guess I can let you go with Uncle Eddie," whispered Izzy. She sat up and wiped the tears off her face. She looked over at Edward. "Uncle Eddie, do you promise to take care of Auntie Bella?"

"I promise, Izzy," said Edward as he came over and knelt down next to me.

"Ok," she whispered. "But if you don't take care of her, you are going to have to answer to me."

"I know, Izzy," chuckled Edward. "I know."

We stood up and I went with Izzy to her room for awhile to play. She still needed a little time to adjust to mine and Edward's leaving. But as I watched her play with her dolls, I knew she would be ok. It would be an adjustment but we could do it together.

* * *

**Thank you all for all the great reviews so far. I think we only have one more chapter left on this story. **


	41. Chapter 41

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

"You sure you want to do this?" asked Edward.

"Yes," I said. "I'm more than sure."

"I can't promise to be gentle," said Edward.

"I don't want you to be gentle," I said. "I want it rough and hard so stop being a dick and just do it already.""Ok," smirked Edward.

He hesitated for a moment before he came at me with his left hook. I ducked and got him in the gut with my right. He wrapped his arms around me. I turned in his arms and pulled him over my shoulder. He fell to the mats with a loud thud. He swept my legs under me and I fell on my ass. He rolled and hovered over me with a smirk on his face.

"That was fun," he said.

"Yeah," I whispered, before I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his lips to mine.

He moaned as he pushed his tongue into my mouth. I clamped his hair into my hands and pulled him even closer as his hands roamed over my body before finding my legs and hitching them around his waist. He pressed his body down on mine and I could feel his erection pressing through the fabric of our clothes. I ground my hips against his. He growled into my mouth as our tongues fought against each other. I loved it when he growled.

"Oh shit," gasped a woman. Edward and I broke our lips away from each other and looked over to see tall, red headed woman watching us from the door way. "I thought this was the step aerobics class."

"Two doors down to the left," I said.

"Um, thanks," she said weakly before she bolted from the doorway. I looked back at Edward, who was shaking from his silent laughter.

"We really have to stop making out when we come to the gym," I chuckled. Edward rolled off of me and laid down next to me.

"But it's so much fun," he chuckled.

"That it is," I sighed. I looked down at my watch. "We had better head down to the office. Everyone will be there soon."

"Ok," he sighed as he jumped up to his feet. He held his hand out to me and I let him pull me up to my feet. "Let's go so you can show off to my dad…again."

I just chuckled as we gathered our gym bags and headed out to Edward's car. I honestly don't know why we come to the gym anymore. I was serious when I said that all we do is end up making out. Edward thought it would be a good idea for us to workout together. I think he was either looking to pick up a pointer or two on how try to kick my ass when we spar, which would never happen, or he was trying to make sure that none of the idiots here at the gym hit on me. Neither worked out very well. The men, and a few woman, at the gym still hit on me but I told them no and pointed out that I was with Edward. As for the fighting, we never seemed to get very far before we were all over each other.

After we finally moved out of Carlisle and Esme's and into Edward, our intimacy issues were the next thing we tried to tackle. Edward insisted that he would wait for me to be ready but I was tired of letting the fear run all over my life. I had let fear control me for five years after the first time I was attacked and I refused to let it control me like that again.

_We had just gotten down with dinner and were cuddling on the couch together. I looked up at Edward and just watched him for a moment. He had his head leaning back on the couch with his eyes closed. His arm around wrapped around my waist and he had a goofy, content smile on his face. _

_I leaned in and gently pressed my lips to his. I felt him smiled before he pressed his lips back onto mine. Inwardly, I took a deep breath before I climbed over and straddled his lap. He moved his hands to my hips as I reached up and started to unbutton his shirt. His lips froze against mine before he pulled back slowly and looked me in the eye._

"_What are you doing?" he asked._

"_I want to make love to my boyfriend," I barely whispered._

"_Baby, we don't have to do anything. I told you-"_

"_I'm ready," I whispered. He went to protest but I pressed my finger to his lips. "I can't let fear control me again. Now, if you aren't ready then I will understand."_

"_Are you sure?" asked Edward._

"_Yes," I said firmly. "Just go slow."_

_Edward just nodded softly before he leaned in and kissed me again. He stood up and wrapped my legs around his waist before he carried me into our bedroom. He set me on my feet next to the bed. I could tell that he was just as nervous as I was about doing this but I knew it was right. I slid my hands up his chest and finished unbuttoning his shirt. I pushed it off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. _

_Slowly, we removed each other's clothes, keeping our eyes locked on each other's the entire time. Once we were both naked, Edward lifted me up and laid me down on the bed. His eyes raked over my naked body. I fought the urge to cover myself up. Especially the scar on my leg from the bullet and following surgery. Edward seemed to pick up on that as he leaned down and pressed his lips to my scars._

"_They're beautiful," he whispered as he looked back up at me. "Every inch of you is beautiful."_

_Edward slowly kissed his way up the rest of my thigh before he landed at the apex between my legs. He looked up at me again, silently asking permission to continue. I barely nodded my head before he turned back and dove in. My back arched off the bed as I felt so much pleasure shot through my body. Edward wrapped his arms around my thighs as he thrust his tongue in an out of me. I could already feel my orgasm building deep inside my stomach. Edward moved his lips to my clit and sucked on it as he slid his fingers into me. It was all I could do not to let go right then but I wanted this to last. _

"_Baby, let go," said Edward as he looked up at me. "Cum for me and let it go."_

"_Oh…..Edward," I cried out as I let my orgasm wash over my body. _

_Edward slid his fingers out of my and licked them clean before he kissed his way up my body, paying special attention to my breasts. He finally reached my mouth and kissed me softly. I could feel his erection brushing the outside of my pussy. I tensed up for a moment and he pulled back slightly._

"_We don't have to do this if you aren't ready," whispered Edward._

"_No, I'm ready," I whispered. "I'm ok."_

"_You sure?" he asked._

"_Yes," I whispered. "I love you, Edward. I trust you."_

"_I love you, too," whispered Edward._

_He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine again as he slowly pushed his erection into me. He paused for a moment once he was completely sheathed inside of me. He pulled his lips way from mine and searched my face for any signs that I wanted him to stop but I wasn't scared. I finally felt that Edward and I were finally back to being me and Edward. _

_I lifted my hips to encourage him to start moving. Edward slowly pulled out of me and pushed back into me. Our love making was slow and tender. We had waited two months to get back to being us and we weren't in a hurry now. We were lost in each other's bodies as we reclaimed the parts that we had almost lost. Edward pressed his lips to mine as we came together._

After that night, our sex life had gone from none existent to completely incredibly. We couldn't keep our hands off of each other anywhere, except at work. We both knew that we had to keep our private relationship away from the office. It wasn't easy but it was the only way we could stay partners at work and stay partners in life as well.

Edward pulled up to the office and we headed inside. We went straight to the gym. I chuckled when I saw everyone waiting for us. I do mean everyone. Not only was the rest of our team here but Esme, Izzy, Rose, Alice, Kate, Angela, Charlie, Renee, Elizabeth, and Ed.

Seeing my parents and Edward's parents together was something I never thought I would see again. Especially since their first meeting hadn't gone very good. Edward had somehow convinced me that everything would be ok so we arranged a lunch for the six of us. I had been reluctant to introduce my parents to Ed and Elizabeth because honestly, I was a little afraid of how they would behave to my parents.

_We showed up to the restaurant just as Elizabeth was yelling at Renee about being a proper mother and Ed was threatening to rip Charlie's balls off if he hurt me, Rose, or Alice again. Part of me wanted to let them fight it out. I think it would be a good match up. Elizabeth and Renee would both probably fight dirty and pull each others hair while trying to gouge each others eyes out. Charlie and Ed would end up with broken noses and black eyes. I was almost willing to let it play out but I didn't want to have to bail the four of them out of jail._

"_How can you call yourself a mother when all you cared about was how you looked to people?" screamed Elizabeth._

"_I will not let you hurt Bella anymore you stupid piece of shit," growled Ed at Charlie._

"_Who are you to tell me how to be a parent?" screamed Renee, defensively. I thought Elizabeth had a point but I wasn't going to get into it right now._

"_I would never hurt Bella," said Charlie. "But I won't stand here and let some asshole like you threaten me either."_

"_That's enough," I snapped. They all stopped fighting and looked over at me. Their faces were all red. "Now, Ed, Elizabeth, I appreciate that you feel the need to stand up for me and my sisters but we are dealing with our issues with Charlie and Renee so back the fuck off, ok?"_

"_Ok," grumbled Ed._

"_Of course," said Elizabeth. I turned to Charlie and Renee next._

"_Charlie, Renee, I know that you are trying to repair the damage to our relationship but if you ever talk to Ed and Elizabeth like that again, I will kick your asses. They are just trying to protect me, Rose, and Alice. Understand?" I asked._

"_Yes," they both muttered._

Once everyone calmed down enough for us to sit down and have lunch, we had a nice time. Our parents ended up getting along and became fast friends. It was kind of gross how much they liked each other but it helped Charlie and Renee since they had been effectively blackballed in Forks. Once word spread that James was Charlie's kid and everything that went down, they became social outcast. So they did what anybody would do, they moved. They decided it was time to come to Seattle. I wasn't sure I wanted them so close but they have been really good about giving me some space.

"Auntie Bella, Uncle Eddie!" squealed Izzy once she saw us come in. She came running over and jumped into my waiting arms. "I've missed you so much."

"You just saw us two days ago, silly girl," I chuckled as kissed her cheek.

"I know but I still missed you," she giggled.

"Well, I missed you too," I chuckled. "So how's Brian?"

"We broke up," she sighed dramatically.

"Why?" I asked.

"He shared his cookie with Callie," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"He didn't," I gasped. I could hear the others chuckling as they listened to her story. All the men had not been happy to hear about Izzy and her little boyfriend. The girls all thought it was cute.

"Yes, he did," said Izzy, shaking her head. "I told him that it was over if he was going to share his cookie with other girls."

"You did the right thing, Izzy," said Edward, pulling Izzy out of my arms. "You can't trust boys that share their cookies with other girls."

"I know," said Izzy. "But it's ok cause I have a new boyfriend anyway."

"What?" snapped all the boys.

"Who?" asked Emmett.

"His name is Ethan," giggled Izzy.

"Ethan," muttered Jasper. He had a look of disgust on his face. In fact, Emmett, Garrett, Ben, Carlisle, Ed, and Charlie all had similar looks of disgust on their faces.

"He's so cute," giggled Izzy. "He gave me his juice box so I gave him my cookie."

"I don't think you should be going out with this Ethan kid, Izzy," grumbled Charlie.

"Why, Grandpa?" asked Izzy. As soon as she called him grandpa, his face softened. He was such a sucker. "He's super nice. Please, Grandpa?"

"Fine," muttered Charlie. I cocked an eyebrow at him. He just rolled his eyes and looked away. She had him wrapped so tight around her little finger.

"Ok, enough traumatizing the boys," I chuckled as I turned to Emmett. "You ready McCarty?"

"You sure you want to do this, Swan?" asked Emmett. "I won't take it easy on you this time."

"Good," I smirked. "Then I won't have to hold back this time either."

"Alright," chuckled Ed. "This is what I have been waiting for."

I just shook my head at the man. Ever since I came back into the field, he had been asking me when I was going to take Emmett down again. I couldn't understand why he was so eager to see me do it until he told me that Emmett had been one of his detectives before he came to the FBI. Now, that alone wasn't a big deal but then Ed told me a few stories about Emmett and now I am just as eager to take the buffoon down.. Plus, I want him to know that if he hurts Rose, I will take his ass out.

"Bella, you sure about this?" asked Charlie.

"It's cool, Charlie," I said. I saw him flinch slightly when I didn't call him dad but I still can't call him that. I'm working on my anger issues with him and Renee but it's just not that easy. "Just relax. I can take him."

"Come on, Charlie," said Renee, wrapping her arm around his waist. "She's going to be fine."

"I know," sighed Charlie. I turned and went over to the mats where Emmett was waiting for me with a goofy, smug, smile on his face that I was going to enjoy wiping off his face again.

"Ok, so the first one to cuff the other is the winner," said Carlisle. "Understand?"

"Yes," said me and Emmett as we stared each other down.

"Ok, when you're ready, go for it," chuckled Carlisle.

Emmett smirked as he started walking around the mat. I kept my face blank as I mirrored his movements. He came at me and tried to wrap his massive arms around me but I ducked and kicked him in the back. He flew to the mats but quickly jumped back up. The smug smile was no longer on his face. He came at me and tried to hit me but I swept his legs out from under him with my right foot and he fell back onto his back. He grabbed my leg and pulled me down to the mats. He tried to pin me to the mats but I was able to get my leg up and pushed him off of me. He must have been practicing since our first match. I jumped to my feet and he wrapped his arm around my body from behind me. I heard Rose mutter something about that being a stupid move. I grabbed Emmett's arm and flipped him over my shoulder and pinned him to the mats with my knee while I slapped my cuffs on his wrists.

"That's my girl," chuckled Ed as he came over and grabbed me up into a big hug.

"Thanks, Ed," I chuckled as everyone laughed with him. Rose was kneeling down next to the incapacitated Emmett.

"I told you not to go at her from behind, Em," she scolded as I took the cuffs off of him.

"I know," he grumbled as he sat up on his knees. I held out my hand.

"Pay up, sucker," I said. He grumbled as he placed the hundred dollar bill in my hand.

"One day, I will beat you, Bella," he grumbled.

"Sure you will," I said before I stood up.

"Well, Bella, I will have to tell you," said Charlie as he and Renee came over. "I'm really impressed. I didn't know you could fight like that."

"Thanks, Charlie," I said. "That means a lot to me."

"I guess this means that we don't need to worry about you anymore," said Renee softly as Carlisle's phone rang

"I think, as parents, you will always need to worry about me, Renee," I said. "Just now you know, I really can do my job."

"We've always known how tough you were, Bella," said Renee. "We just didn't want you to have to be."

"Listen up," yelled Carlisle. We all turned and looked at him as he closed his phone. "We have a new case. My team needs to head up to the office now."

I quickly said goodbye to everyone, especially Esme and Izzy, and followed the others up to the office. I smiled as I walked with Angela. Carlisle had offered her a job as our public relations liaison while she finished up her classes to become a profiler. It was nice to have another woman around and I know that Ben enjoyed having her here too. We all turned to Carlisle as soon as we were on our floor.

"Just got a call from Marcus Stevens from the San Francisco office. They have a case that they need help with and he's calling us because of our work on the James Sanders case," explained Carlisle.

"What kind of case?" I asked.

"They have three dead girls, all with signs of extreme torture," said Carlisle. "This won't be pretty."

"Looks like we are heading to San Francisco," I said as I looked around at everyone. They all smiled and nodded their heads.

"Let's meet back here in an hour," said Carlisle.

We all agreed and headed back down to the cars. Edward and I sped home and quickly showered and changed into our work clothes. We packed enough clothes for a handful of days and locked up the house. We headed back to the office and waited for everyone to get there. Once we were all there, we headed to the airport and loaded up on the plane. As the plane headed toward San Francisco, I couldn't help but wonder what this case would bring us.

* * *

**So this is it. This is the end…maybe. I am tossing around an idea for a sequel but I'm not 100% committed to it yet. If I decide to write a sequel, it will take a while to organize my thoughts and plans for it. If I don't decide to write a sequel, I will add an epilogue at some point. Thank you all for reading this story. Especially to all of you who have left me reviews. I love them all. **


End file.
